Diarrhoea takes epidemic form

The number of diarrhoea patients at ICDDR,B in the
city is increasing with every passing day. This picture of a
nurse preparing a patient for IV fluid drip was taken on
Tuesday.

Several hundred children with diarrhea reported to the Sadar Hospital during the last two days showing the disease has taken an epidemic form.

Over the last few days, children afflicted with diarrhea, respiratory problem and other diseases in the district thronged mostly at Sadar Hospital despite its insufficient capacity.

On Monday and Tuesday, some 120 children got admited at the Sadar Hospital with only 18 beds for children, which forced most of the child patients to stay on the floor, at the

corridor and veranda of the hospital.

On Tuesday, some 45 children were released after medication while another 38 children got new admission. Besides, child patients from the nearby Panchagarh district and Birganj, Khansama and Kaharol upazilas of Dinajpur district also started to crowd the Sadar Hospital here, hampering medication and proper atention to the patients.

Some 350 patients were given medication at the outdoors while the rest of the patients went to local clinics.

Civil Surgeon Lokman Ali said most of the children are suffering from diarrhoea and pneumonia, but proper atention could not be given to them due to shortage of manpower.

"The major problem of the hospital is manpower. The 100-bed hospital is being run with the manpower of 50-bed," he added.

The civil surgeon admited the shortage of physicians and nurses in the hospital as there are only two child consultants and two nurses.

Child Specialist Dr. Ruhul Amin said the children are being affected by diarrhoea due to rotavirus.