Staff Reporter:
The intensive care unit (ICU) of the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Mohakhali was reopened on Tuesday, less than a day after Health Minister Sardar Sakhawat Hossain promised it would.
The unit, set up under the Covid-19 ERPP project in 2021, shut down with the project’s expiration in June 2024, and was not renewed or relaunched under successive administrations.
The five-bed unit was restarted with all the necessary medical equipment as well as three doctors, one junior consultant in the field of anesthesia, and one specialist anesthesist on Tuesday.
The rapid reopening and the government rush was sparked by the tragic death of an infant child on Monday night.
The eight-month old, Sayeed, was suffering from acute measles and required ICU facilities, which the doctors could not provide at the Infectious Diseases Hospital. Nearby hospitals also declined to admit him to their ICUs out of fear of measles spread.
The child ultimately died around 9pm, despite efforts by physicians at Infectious Diseases Hospital, highlighting the essential need for an ICU there.
A public uproar erupted on social media, pushing higher authorities into action.
At midnight, Health Minister Sardar Sakhawat Hossain, accompanied by health secretary and other high-ranking officials, inspected the hospital, and during the visit, he assured journalists that the ICU would be restarted within 24 hours.
Following the minister’s instructions, the health authorities have also set up a specialised unit at the nearby DNCC hospital to help the 100-bed Infectious Diseases Hospital cope with sudden surges in patients.
Patients suffering from measles, rabies, tetanus, AIDS, and other infectious diseases can be treated at the new facility.
Infectious Diseases Hospital is currently grappling to contend with an influx of measles patients forcing many afflicted people to lie on the floors and verandahs.
