Gasping for oxygen

According to the relatives of the patients, the second wave of coronavirus epidemic has created a kind of wailing situation for many people in Bangladesh to get hospitalized and get proper treatment.

Health workers also say that the increase in infections and deaths has put severe strain on the care of the victims. The ICU bed crisis is intensifying as the number of patients increases, usually as soon as the patient recovers or dies ICU beds can be found vacant. However, according to the bulletin of the Department of Health dated April 15, out of a total of 825 ICU beds in the country, 652 have been occupied and 173 ICU beds are vacant. However, many relatives of the victims say that it has become difficult for anyone in Dhaka to get an ICU if they need one for a coronavirus patient. For ordinary people or the middle class, who are looking for ICU beds in government hospitals, the crisis is becoming more pronounced. 

Ibrahim Majid, a resident of Dhaka, said he had to contact about 50 government and private hospitals three days ago to get an ICU for his mother. With the help of family and friends, ICU bed was arranged in a private hospital for about seven hours. “This is a huge crisis for the common people. My mother was admitted to Kurmitola Hospital but she needed an ICU as her oxygen level was very low. ” Majid said. “In some places there is an ICU but there is no central oxygen or adequate oxygen supply all the time. After a lot of searching, I finally found one.” Majid added.

In Bangladesh, the infection rate is now above 20 percent. More than 5,000 Covid-19 cases are being identified every day. Many need high flow oxygen facilities in the hospital but it is not easy to get.

Rumana Khatun, a nurse at a private hospital in Dhaka, said, “There are 30 beds in the cabin where I am on duty. Patients are coming continuously, the numbers are not decreasing. Our nurses have also come under a lot of pressure because of the rise of patients. It is also a fact that many times new patients are actually being returned because the beds are not empty.” 

In the meantime, the number of deaths due to Covid-19 in Bangladesh has exceeded ten thousand. More than a thousand patients have died in the first 15 days of April.  Many newer variants of the virus, including in South Africa and the United Kingdom, have spread, requiring more hospitalized oxygen and even ICU facilities.

Ishan Jahan, a senior staff nurse at a Covid dedicated government hospital, said. “The situations are like, a patient's oxygen saturation level is going good. But suddenly, saying that I am having a shortness of breath. In such cases, many patients can’t even get the opportunity to have treatment for shortness of breath. In a short period of time, the patient's condition is getting worse. In many cases, unfortunately, they are dying.” Meanwhile, despite strict restrictions imposed by the government to control the situation, it has been observed very loosely in the first week. Toughness is seen at the beginning of the overall lockdown in the second phase. “It's really sad that the general public doesn't realize how terrible the situations are.” Ishan added.