The high-dosage of chlorine in the water supplied by Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) has reportedly been hampering the production process of intravenous (IV) fluid unit at the Institute of Public Health (IPH).
The only public IV fluid unit of the country produces around 8,000 to 9,000 bags of saline each day that are distributed to public hospitals across the country.
The local water pump of Dhaka Wasa reportedly provides the IV fluid unit daily with around 50,000 litres of water needed to continue normal production.
However, production at the IV fluid unit has faced a setback during the last few weeks, as the Sayedabad water pump has allegedly been supplying water dosed with a large amount of chlorine in order to purify the polluted water.
Despite attempts by the IPH authority to sterilise the chlorine-mixed water, production had to be shut down for a few days at the IV fluid unit last month. Frequent load-shedding and low gas pressure has also been causing trouble for normal production by the unit.
Dr Shubimol Singha Chowdhury, the director of IPH, told the Dhaka Tribune that it was near impossible to continue the normal production of saline, as Wasa had been supplying water mixed with strong doses of chlorine for the last few weeks.
Shubimol has already asked the sub-divisional engineer of Wasa for a solution to the problem. In a letter to Wasa authority, he mentioned that production would have to be suspended if the problem persisted, as well as requesting Wasa to supply water from deep tube-well instead of the Sayedabad water treatment plant.
Sources said two gas generators (1000kVA) – bought by the IPH to overcome the load-shedding crisis – could not be run, as it had no gas connection. However, authorities have also reportedly asked Titas gas for providing a new connection.
Uninterrupted power supply is an essential requirement for carrying out the entire series of procedures for producing a saline bag.
The IV fluid unit produces different types of intravenous fluids including normal saline, cholera saline, baby saline, 3% sodium chloride and haemodialysis fluid.
The prices of the intravenous fluids produced by the IPH are significantly lower than private companies.
