40,000 bags of saline needed daily: health minister

Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque today said instruction has been given to keep ready enough supply of saline as dengue cases have increased tenfold across the country.

There is a demand for about 40,000 bags of saline every day, which means 12 lakh bags are needed per month, the health minister said this while talking to reporters after visiting the dengue unit of Manikganj's 250-bed Sadar Hospital, reports our Manikganj correspondent.

The health minister said, "I have asked Bangladesh's saline manufacturers to go for full production. But all the pharmaceutical companies are not being able to produce that much of saline... that is why we held a meeting two days ago, where instructions have been given, if necessary, you can import saline from abroad."

"Around 3,000 beds have been kept in Dhaka city, of them, 2,000 beds are occupied. I have asked to keep 5,000 beds ready for patients across the country. Many beds are still vacant," he said.

"If you want to reduce the number of dengue patients, you have to lower the number of mosquitoes. If there is no mosquito, there will be no mosquito bites. And there will be no dengue patients as well. I have urged the city corporations and municipalities to spray (insecticide) properly," he said

Manikganj Deputy Commissioner Rehena Akter, Municipality Mayor Md Ramzan Ali, Civil Surgeon Dr Moazzem Ali Khan Chowdhury were present during the health minister's visit to the dengue unit.