Bashundhara virus hospital gets going

At last the 2,013-bed makeshift COVID-19 hospital at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) in the capital started operation on Sunday without being properly equipped. Health Minister Zahid Maleque inaugurated the hospital, one week after the schedule. Hospital division director of DGHS Dr Aminul Hasan had earlier said the facility would be opened on May 09. The hospital has 2,013 isolation beds. Of those, oxygen cylinders have been attached to 71 beds. It also has at least 400 more portable oxygen cylinders. In the document collected from DGHS, it was found that the estimated project costs Tk 494 million for the 1,752-bed hospital. There are 1,681 general beds and 71 ICU beds with ventilator support. It was mentioned that the CMSD can supply 71 ventilators as they are already in stock. The proposed beds will be accommodated in three convention centres and one tent which is fully air-conditioned. A medical team of 2,328 members has been proposed comprised of 450 medical officers, 45 consultants (internal medicine/respiratory), 48 ICU experts/anesthesiologists/trained MOs, minimum 100 ICU nurses, 1,200 general nurses, 450 cleaners/aya/ward boys, 15 lab technicians (radio and path) and 20 paramedics to operate the COVID-19 hospital. "It is the second largest hospital in the world dedicated to treating coronavirus patients. We have 3,500 beds now for treating COVID-19 patients. With this and that of the Dhaka North City Corporation kitchen market at Mohakhali, we have 7,500 beds in Dhaka," the minister said. In total, over 20,000 isolation beds have now been set up in the country to deal with coronavirus patients, the minister added. As many as 1,300 beds at the DNCC Market and 1,200 at Uttara Diabari are now fully ready. Besides, 601 more institutions in districts and upazilas, including the capital, are ready for use as coronavirus isolation centres. The minister said the hospital has been prepared only in 20 days. The hospital is not much behind compared to any high standard hospital of the world with ICU facilities. The minister added that the process to recruit 5,000 medical technologists is underway. "There was only one coronavirus test lab which could test only 150 samples. Now over 40 labs are testing about 8,000 samples every day," the minister said. Initially, doctors and nurses were engaged only for 500 patients in the makeshift COVID-19 hospital. When asked, Bashundhara COVID-19 hospital director Dr Tanvir Ahmed Chowdhury told the FE that they have got 191 doctors, all of whom are medical officers. There has been no consultant or nurse appointed yet. "WE will appoint one doctor and two nurses for 50 beds. Initially, we will prepare 600 beds and deploy manpower accordingly. As it is a huge area, we will gradually increase the bed number and engage manpower," he added.