Transport crisis hits hard people from outlying areas
The patients, especially from out of the city, suffered most for severe transport crisis due to 60-hour general strike enforced by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led opposition alliance.
Hospital officials said they received fewer patients during the last three days, while many admitted patients could not leave hospitals for the hartal.Afzal Hossain from Brahmanbaria was admitted at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital on October 24. Doctors released him on Tuesday and he had to hire an ambulance by Tk 3,500 to go home, said his daughter-in-law Morsheda.
‘We came last Thursday [October 24] spending Tk 2700,’ she said.
Jalal Uddin, brother of a patient admitted at the hospital said, ‘The doctor wanted to release my brother on Monday, but we requested the doctor to release my brother after hartal was over as we came from Kurigram.’
The hospital records showed that they received fewer patients, even in the emergency.
Dhaka Medical College Hospital emergency department officials said that they received 312 patients from mid night to 3:30pm on Tuesday. Generally the hospital receives over 500 patients during this time, they added.
‘The hospital also discharged a number of patients ahead of the general strike to get rid of the patients’ pressure,’ said emergency medical officer at Rabiul Islam Sharker.
The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases received 25 per cent patients at outpatient department compared with the normal time, said Kazi M Jafrul Haque, medical officer of cardiac medicine. ‘I saw only about 15 patients today [Tuesday],’ he said.
‘The patients came mostly from Dhaka. Some patients came from outskirts of the city,’ said resident medical officer M Mahmud Monwar.
Only the critical patients came from outside the city, he added.
On Sunday, 107 patients admitted at NICVD while on Monday 95 patients and on Tuesday 40 patients were admitted.
Generally the figure is not less than 170, officials said. The hospital received only 28 emergency patients on Tuesday till 3:00pm, they added.
Sumon, a 9-year boy visited the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation on Thursday as he had an accident which caused fracture in his leg.
The local hospital at Manikganj referred him to the institute.
‘We have to come to the hospital by hiring a CNG-run auto-rickshaw. We can come by bus if communication was normal,’ said his father.
The NITOR also received fewer patients during the last three days, said senior staff nurse Morsheda Khatun.
She said that they received about 50 emergency patients while generally they received about 200 patients.
-With New Age input
