The health and family welfare ministry is mulling over opening some Covid-19 dedicated hospitals for general patients as around 77 percent of the hospital beds meant for corona patients are lying vacant.

The health and family welfare minister Zahid Maleque recently dropped a hint in this regard.

Dr. Md Farid Hossain Miah, Director (Hospital) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), said, “We have already sent a letter in this regard to the health ministry but we didn’t get any directive yet.”

Mentioning that a number of beds designated for corona patients have been lying vacant due to lack of patients, he said Mugda Medical College Hospital, corona unit of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka may be open for general patients.

According to the DGHS data on September 16, there are 14,275 general beds and 547 ICU (Intensive Care Unit) beds for Covid-19 patients in public and private hospitals across the country including in Dhaka.

Some 11,165 general beds and 246 ICU beds remained vacant as of Wednesday as a total of 3,110 Covid-19 patients were admitted to general beds and 301 were in ICU beds across the country.

In the capital, the DGHS data said some 110 general beds and two ICU bed have remained vacant out of the total 200 general beds and 16 ICU beds in Kuwait-Bangladesh Friendship Government Hospital, some zero general beds and zero ICU bed are vacant out of total 275 general beds and 10 ICU beds in 500-bed Kurmitola General Hospital, 229 general beds and eight ICU beds are vacant out of a total of 883 general beds and 24 ICU beds in Dhaka Medical College Hospital (unit 2) and burn unit of the hospital.

It said some 55 general beds and zero ICU bed have fallen vacant out of total 66 general beds and zero ICU beds in Dhaka Mohanagar Hospital, 10 general beds and zero ICU bed remain vacant out of total 10 general beds and zero ICU beds in Infectious Diseases Hospital, 120 general beds and five ICU bed are vacant out of total 121 general beds and 5 ICU beds in Maternal hospital in Mirpur.

Some 117 general beds and one ICU bed remain vacant out of total 140 general beds and 16 ICU beds in 250-bed Sheikh Russel Gastro Liver Institute and Hospital, 420 general beds and ten ICU bed remain vacant out of total 420 general beds and 10 ICU beds in Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College Hospital, the DGHS data said.

It further said some 1,983 general beds and zero ICU bed remain vacant out of total 2013 general beds and zero ICU beds in Bashundhara Covid-19 Isolation Hospital, 31 general beds and three ICU bed remain vacant out of total 66 general beds and six ICU beds in Sarkari Karmachari Hospital, 106 general beds and zero ICU bed remain vacant out of total 200 general beds and zero ICU beds Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital.

A number of general and ICU beds also have been lying vacant in Chattragram as Chattragram Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (BITID), 250-bed General Hospital, Chattragram, Holy Crescent hospital (Pvt.) ltd, Chattragram Railway Hospital, Chattragram Ma O Shishu Hospital, Bangabadnhu Memorial Hospital, Field Hospital and Corona Isolation Center Chattragram provide treatment for the coronavirus infected patients.

The different public hospitals and DGHS sources said a number of beds designated for corona patients have been lying vacant in some hospitals but general patients are suffering as a number of physicians, nurses and other medical staff are virtually workless in some corona units due to lack of patients.

“If the corona units of public hospitals where beds have been lying vacant are opened for general patients, many patients can get treatment,” said a physician at Suhrawardy hospital.

Hospital sources said the Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College Hospital may also be open for general patients immediately.