The government has cancelled leave for health workers in 11 flood-affected districts in eastern Bangladesh to ensure uninterrupted healthcare services, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain said on Monday.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at the Secretariat, the minister said doctors, nurses and other health personnel have been instructed to remain on duty, while adequate stocks of medicines, saline, antivenom and other essential supplies have been kept ready.
"No patient will be deprived of treatment. If necessary, additional medical teams will be deployed from the central level," he said.
The minister said over the past few days, heavy rainfall and runoff from upstream hills had triggered flooding in several districts of the Chittagong region, disrupting communication, economic activities and healthcare services. In response, the government has taken a series of emergency measures to maintain medical services.
He said medical equipment had been moved to safer locations after floodwater entered the ground floor of a hospital, while leave for health workers had been suspended to ensure uninterrupted services.
Special healthcare services are currently underway in Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Feni, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Chandpur, Comilla and Brahmanbaria. A senior doctor has been assigned to monitor the health situation in each district, while the ministry's control room is operating round the clock to coordinate the response, he said.
The situation is being monitored in coordination with district administrations, civil surgeons, hospital authorities and local administrations. Special instructions have been issued to ensure uninterrupted healthcare services particularly for pregnant women, children and people living in remote areas.
Highlighting the risk of snakebites during floods, the minister said: “The government had issued advance warnings and urged people to take snakebite victims directly to hospitals instead of seeking treatment from traditional healers”.
"On the first night of the flooding, five snakebite patients were admitted to hospitals. They received antivenom and have all recovered," he said.
Health Secretary Md Kamruzzaman Chowdhury said: “According to the latest information, 95 snakebite patients had so far received treatment at hospitals in the flood-hit districts, and all are now in stable condition.
He said more than 1,000 vials of antivenom are currently available in central stock, while 21,000 vials have already been distributed to district-level facilities. Another 25,000 vials will be supplied within the next 15 days, ensuring there is no shortage.
The health secretary said: “To prevent post-flood outbreaks of waterborne diseases, the government is distributing water purification tablets and has stocked adequate oral rehydration salts (ORS), intravenous saline and essential medicines. Special medical teams have also been kept on standby to respond to diarrhoea, cholera and other waterborne diseases, with arrangements in place to transfer critically ill patients to higher-level hospitals if needed”.
Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof Dr Pravath Chandra Biswas said health data from the affected areas is being collected through the National Health Service Call Centre (16263) and regular health bulletins, while dengue and other infectious diseases are being closely monitored from the central level.
Concluding the briefing, the minister said the government's priority is to ensure that "not a single person dies due to lack of treatment because of the floods," and sought the media's cooperation in supporting the government's emergency response.
