Cold-related diseases among children have increased sharply in Tangail as the winter has intensified. This has led to a large number of new patients being admitted to hospitals every day.
To deal with the pressure of patients, the Tangail General Hospital authorities have decided to convert the Covid-19 unit into a children's ward since patients four times more in number are undergoing treatment here.
According to hospital sources, 80 in-patients were given treatment at the children's ward against 23 seats on Saturday morning. Apart from this, the scano and diarrhoea wards have several times more children than the capacity.
Dhaka TribuneDue to the acute shortage of beds, many patients have taken shelter on the hospital's balcony and floor.
Relatives of the patients complain that their sufferings have increased due to being on the floor this winter. And those who got beds also have problems, as two to three patients are kept in one bed.
Head of the Children's Department Dr Md Nurul Islam Shamim said many children were admitted with pneumonia, bronchitis and diarrhoea. Due to the pressure, the doctors and nurses are forced to work extra hours.
He advised that children should be taught to wear warm clothes to avoid the cold. Parents should be careful about bathing and taking the children out for no reason.
Dhaka TribuneSupervisor of the hospital Dr Khandaker Sadekur Rahman and Resident Medical Officer (RMO) Dr Lutfar Rahman said it was expected that the number of patients would increase with the drop in mercury.
To ensure proper service, the authorities have decided to convert the Covid unit into a children's ward.