The number of patients at the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) has fallen significantly because of waterlogging and severe traffic jams caused by continuous rain in the capital. The hospital authorities said that on Sunday (July 12) about 20 percent fewer patients came to the emergency department than on other days.
With waterlogging created on roads and lanes in various parts of the capital because of the rain, it was not only patients but also doctors, nurses, medical technologists and staff at various levels of the hospital who faced extreme difficulty reaching their workplaces. That day, water also accumulated on the road in front of the DMCH emergency department and the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. Long traffic jams across the city disrupted the movement of vehicles, so it took hospital staff far longer than usual to reach work on time. Even so, they carried out their duties to keep medical services running despite the difficulties.
DMCH resident doctor Dr Mostaq Ahmed said that on average more than 1,500 patients usually came to the emergency department for treatment in 24 hours, of whom about one-third were admitted to hospital. Although most patients came between the afternoon and night, on Sunday morning and noon the number of patients was notably lower than on other days, he said. He said that because of the waterlogging and traffic jams, patients as well as the hospital’s doctors and staff had faced various problems reaching work, but that they had still performed their duties and ensured services for patients.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report