Pabna General Hospital: Covid-19 treatment facilities scanty

The second wave of Covid 19 hits the country but there is no progress in dealing with coronavirus patients at the hospital in the district.

No Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) lab has been installed in the district in the last ten months. Even no step has been taken to install central oxygen supply system in 250-bed Pabna General Hospital, which is dedicated to treat Covid-19 patients.

According to sources at the district health department, 1,444 infections were recorded in the last ten months.  A total of 23,693 samples were tested during the period.  Ten people have died from coronavirus in the district while a number of people have died after showing Covid-19 symptoms during this time.

First Covid-19 patient was identified in the district on April 16. After this, the number of patients has been increasing till July. But the number of patients has been declining since August.  The number of patients has been increasing again from November and the running month.

Ten coronavirus patients were identified in April, 21 in May, 411 in June, 322 in July, 140 in August, 125 in September, 78 in October and 165 in November while 172 have been infected with the virus.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in Dhaka allotted a high flow nasal canola machine to treat Covid-19 patients in Pabna General Hospital a few months ago but it has remained inoperative due to the lack of central oxygen supply system at the hospital, said the sources. The intensive care unit (ICU) is also lying inoperative, it added.

"Due to lack of the technical support, we are treating those patients who have mild symptoms," said Dr Saleh Mohammad Ali, consultant of Covid-19 unit at Pabna General Hospital.

He added that a total of 138 suspected coronavirus patients were admitted to Covid-19 unit of the hospital in the last 10 months. Of them, 30 were infected with the virus. All the patients took treatment here as they had mild symptoms. There is no scope for handling critical patients at the hospital.

Pabna Civil Surgeon Dr KM Abu Jafar said despite repeated pleas, the authorities concerned are yet to take any steps to install PCR lab in the district.

"We are now trying to install central oxygen supply system in Pabna General Hospital to improve treatment facility for Covid-19 patients," he said.