More than 60 doctors and nurses have been infected with Covid-19 every 24 hours over the last 12 days, according to the Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA).
A total 4,323 health professionals have been infected in the country, so far, including 1,367 doctors, 1,213 nurses and 1,743 other healthcare professionals, BMA data shows.
On April 27, the number of infected healthcare professionals in the country was 660, including 295 physicians, 116 nurses and 259 other workers. By June 13, the number had climbed to 3,164, including 1,003 doctors alone.
In the last 12 days, further 1,159 healthcare professionals were infected with Covid-19, including 364 doctors, 360 nurses and 435 other workers. This amounts to about 30 doctors and 30 nurses getting infected per day.
The death toll from the novel coronavirus among physicians now stands at 53. Among them, 40 died while undergoing treatment in Dhaka.
Dhaka continues to be a hotspot for infections among healthcare professionals, with 1,557 out of the total 4,323 infections detected in the district. They include 597 doctors, 556 nurse and 404 other workers.
There are six other districts where more than 50 doctors have been infected: Mymensingh, Sylhet, Kishoriganj, Gazipur, Chittagong, and Comilla.
A total of 332 healthcare professionals have been infected with Covid-19 in Mymensingh, 155 in Sylhet, 128 in Kishoreganj, 171 in Gazipur, 123 in Chittagong, and 152 in Comilla.
In Narayanganj, another hotspot of Covid-19, a total of 137 healthcare professionals have been infected, including 28 doctors, 26 nurses and 83 other health workers.
Dhaka Medical College Hospital tops the list of most infected doctors with 171, while Mitford Hospital has 56 and Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital has 120.
Secretary-General of BMA Dr Ehteshamul Huq Chowdhury said the main reason the rate of infection among health professionals is not slowing is a lack of triage management at medical service centres.
He also claimed many health professionals lacked proper training on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Foundation for Doctors' Safety and Rights (FDSR) blamed the health directorate for failing to supply quality PPE for the health care professionals.
