The Health Ministry has instructed all the public hospitals to take week-long preparation in order to ensure quality healthcare services before and after Eid-ul-Fitr across the country.
It has instructed the state-owned hospitals to be prepared with a full-fledged medical team, ambulance, and medical equipment to handle any kind of emergency before and after the Eid.
The public hospitals have set a special menu for patients during Eid, including biriyani, chicken and beef curry, eggs, sweetmeat, yogurt and vermicelli.
Outdoor units of the hospitals will the next day after the Eid.
Nurunnahar, a senior assistant secretary at the ministry, issued a notice on July 22 asking officials of public hospitals to be prepared to dispense service for seven days (3 days before and 4 days after the Eid).
The notice also instructed to keep outdoor sections open on the next day of Eid, although it is a public holiday, and ensure presence of doctors in the emergency department.
Professor Dr ABM Abdul Hannan, director (medical education and manpower development) of the Health Directorate, told the Dhaka Tribune that all the public hospitals, in compliance with the ministry’s notice, had taken a week-long preparation to ensure health services before and after the Eid.
“All the patients will certainly get emergency and indoor services while the outdoor sections will open on the next day after the Eid,” he said.
Dr Mustafizur Rahman, director of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), said they had taken an all-out preparation to ensure quality service for patients.
“130 non-Muslim doctors and 160 non-Muslim nurses will be on duty as their Muslim colleagues will be on leave. Sufficient supply of medicine, which will last till August 1, was also ensured so that no time is wasted on searching for drug during the treatment of patients,” he said.
“Assistant, associate and full professors will also be visiting the hospital to see patients in phases. A schedule for them has already been prepared,” added Mustafizur.
The number of patients at public hospitals is said to be going down ahead of Eid. Around 3,000 patients generally remain admitted at the DMCH but the number was found to be 1,600 yesterday.
The number would decrease more today, said Mustafizur.
Meanwhile, patients with no severe ailment are being discharged upon permission of doctors from most of the hospitals in the capital, including the DMCH, Mitford Hospital and Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital.