Authorities at Chuadanga Sadar Hospital are struggling to keep up with a bed shortage in the children’s ward. Weather changes have caused a sharp rise in pneumonia, colds, coughs and respiratory illness among children across the district. Against just 22 beds, the hospital’s children’s ward has admitted 556 children over the past 12 days, a large share of them with pneumonia.
Hospital sources said that from August 19 to August 30, the children’s ward at the sadar hospital admitted several times its capacity in patients every day on average. More than 100 children are currently being treated there at once. Unable to get a bed, many patients have had to receive treatment on mats laid out on the floor and in the corridors.
Meanwhile, it isn’t just the indoor ward — the outpatient department has also seen overflowing crowds of patients. Doctors say they are treating 300 to 350 children a day in the outpatient department. With limited staff and just two doctors handling this large number of children, medical staff are struggling to cope.
A visit to the hospital found the normal treatment environment disrupted throughout the ward by the crowd of extra patients and their relatives. The floor has become the only option for patients arriving from distant areas.
Relatives of four-month-old Zaber said they were forced to bring him to the hospital after home treatment failed to improve his condition. The father of one-month-old Rayhan, who came from Jibannagar, described the same experience.
Chuadanga Sadar Hospital resident medical officer Dr Farhana Wahid Tani said: “Excessive heat, uneven rainfall and changing weather are making children fall ill quickly. We have only 22 beds, but patients are coming in far greater numbers. With limited staff, our doctors and nurses are having to work extra hard to ensure the best possible care for patients.”
Pediatrician Dr Mahbubur Rahman Milon said most of the children coming to the hospital have pneumonia.
He advised keeping children from staying sweaty, keeping them away from dust, and taking care in excessive heat during this period.
He urged bringing children to a doctor if they show rapid breathing, chest indrawing or unusual weakness.
Doctors also said children should not be given antibiotics without a doctor’s advice.