Dhaka North Covid hospital starts treating dengue patients

Dhaka North City Corporation's (DNCC) dedicated Covid-19 hospital has started treating dengue patients from Sunday.

Four units have already been opened in the hospital for dengue patients, and twelve doctors have been assigned responsibility in three shifts, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Director General Professor Dr ABM Khurshid Alam said following a meeting of the health department on Saturday night.

According to the DGHS, the decision has been taken due to a shortage of beds in other government hospitals. Four patients were admitted after the announcement.

Sixty beds have been prepared in the general ward for dengue patients. Among them, 38 beds are for men and 22 beds for women. Besides, there is a 17-bed ICU unit. Beds will be increased as per demand. Apart from the treatment, the health department has also arranged dengue testing in the hospital.

Two more dengue patients died till Saturday morning, raising this year's death toll from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh to 112.

In the last 24 hours, 922 more patients were hospitalised with viral fever as cases have continued to increase, the DGHS said.

Of the new patients, 520 were admitted to different hospitals in Dhaka and 402 outside of the capital.

A total of 3,404 dengue patients, including 2,328 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.

On 21 June, the DGHS reported the first death of the season from the viral disease.