Health Minister Zahid Maleque yesterday asked all public hospitals to increase beds for dengue patients.

The instruction came at a time when major public hospitals in Dhaka and other divisional cities are struggling to treat growing number of patients due to shortages of medical staff.

"As the number of patients continue to rise, we have to dedicate more beds for dengue patients at all hospitals proportionately, and everyone [hospital directors] must act accordingly," Zahid said.

The minister was speaking at a virtual meeting with hospital directors, civil surgeons and other health officials.

He talked to the directors of all medical college hospitals in the divisional cities and other major hospitals, particularly in Dhaka city.

Meeting sources said the instruction on raising the number of beds is not the same for all hospitals.

For example, Kurmitola General Hospital in Dhaka has been asked to arrange an additional 200 beds for dengue patients while Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, and Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery have been instructed to increase 100 beds each.

Besides, Chattogram Medical College Hospital has been told to add 100 beds to the existing 60 and Rajshahi Medical College Hospital 100 beds to the existing 55.

In reply, hospital directors informed the minister about the shortage of doctors, nurses and other supporting staffers.

Col AKM Johirul Hossain Khan, director of the DNCC Hospital in Dhaka's Mohakhali, which was recently announced a dengue-dedicated healthcare facility, told the minister that they could not admit patients to all 500 beds due to a lack of manpower.

Yesterday, the hospital had 290 dengue patients. With the existing manpower, the hospital can provide healthcare service to 330 beds.

To serve the patients, there are 51 doctors, 64 nurses, 157 ward boys and cleaners, he added.

After the meeting, Col Johirul told The Daily Star, "We will be able to serve 370-380 patients with the existing manpower. We are under pressure as more patients are coming every day.

"We have already sent a demand letter to the ministry for more manpower. But all the hospitals in Dhaka are under pressure. So, it will not be easy to get required manpower. It will take time."

Health officials, meanwhile, said they have already started distribution of manpower to tackle the situation.

"We have asked the nursing institutes to send nurses. Doctors who are working at hospitals where dengue patients are not so many will be sent to those under pressure," Prof Ahmedul Kabir, additional director general of the health directorate, told this newspaper yesterday.

At the meeting, directors of different hospitals in Dhaka said many patients are unnecessarily coming to the capital from outside.

The health minister said the hospitals in divisional cities and other major towns take measures so that all patients don't need to travel to the capital.

Urging people not to get panicky, Prof Kabir said dengue treatment is possible even at an upazila health complex. "So, people should not waste time and money travelling to Dhaka and other major cities."

Zahid also asked the health officials to work closely to destroy the larvae of Aedes mosquitoes, the carrier of dengue virus.

Deaths, Cases

Sixteen dengue patients died at different healthcare facilities across the country in 24 hours ending yesterday morning, rising the death toll to 201, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.

Of yesterday's deaths, 14 were reported in Dhaka.

At least 2,418 patients were hospitalised during the 24-hour period, of which 1,162 were in Dhaka. The number of dengue cases stood at 37,688, including 22,349 outside Dhaka.

Some 7,927 dengue patients were undergoing treatment yesterday, of which 4,646 were in Dhaka.