Measles treatment is going on in dirty environment in infectious diseases hospital

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The environment inside and outside the infectious disease hospital is dirty. It is in that environment that children suffering from infectious diseases like measles are being treated. The hospital authorities say that it is not possible to keep the hospital clean due to the surrounding conditions and manpower shortage.

Infectious disease hospitals treat not only measles. Almost all types of infectious diseases in the country are treated in this government hospital. Diseases other than measles include HIV/AIDS, diarrhoea, measles, rabies, scurvy, black fever, dengue, typhoid, diphtheria, malaria, anthrax. Pneumonia and wounds are also treated at the hospital. Officials said that the diseases caused by viruses in different seasons are treated in this hospital.

The Infectious Disease Hospital is located in the Sattala Basti area of ​​Mohakhali in the capital. It can be said that the hospital is in a slum. People don’t know much about infectious diseases hospital. The hospital is popularly known as the Dog Bite Hospital. Dog-bitten patients come here for treatment every 12 months. Rabies vaccination is administered daily at the hospital. However, measles vaccination is not, and still is not.

The hospital can be accessed via three separate roads. But slums on both sides of every road. There are various small shops with the slums. This slum is built on the land of Public Health Institute. Apart from this, the International Udaramay Research Center, Nursing Institute, Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC)—all have been built on the land of the Public Health Institute. The previous governments have tried to implement several projects by giving away slums, but they have not been successful.

After the outbreak of measles infection, the number of children with measles in the hospital increased. Last Sunday afternoon, it was seen that there was no place to step on the fourth floor of the hospital. In front of the elevator, on the balcony, in the ward—kids with measles everywhere. Each child is accompanied by a parent or other guardian. The balcony leading to the two bathrooms also has four beds, two each. The waste container or bin is near the bed. There are no electric fans anywhere. A parent said that he bought a table fan and was using it.

It turned out that in the ward where the nurses sit, where the medicine and saline are kept, there are three black, yellow and green waste bins. Medicines and beans do not usually appear side by side like this.

Garbage was seen around different floors, several wards. It can be seen that some dirt is very old. Not cleaned regularly. Three parents said that sweeping is done only once a day. Talking to the hospital staff, it is known that the hospital does not have additional measures to prevent infection.

Hospital supervisor FA Asma Khan told Prothom Alo that there are only 19 cleaners in the hospital. It is not possible to keep the hospital clean with this manpower.

FA Asma Khan came to this hospital less than a month ago. He said, ‘I am trying to improve the environment by coming. I can’t properly. I feel bad for myself.

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The road of slum people passing through the hospital. People travel on this road 24 hours a day and night. Slum people hang out in the hospital premises. Ganja session is held at a specific place after evening. The hospital administration has no authority. Supervisor FA Asma Khan said, ‘Sweeping is being done in the morning, the same situation again in the afternoon. People cannot be understood.

‘There is no treatment in this environment’

The Infectious Diseases Hospital has 100 beds. 103 patients were admitted on Monday. 15 beds allocated for measles patients. Yesterday there were 63 children admitted with measles. Apart from measles patients, 17 patients of AIDS, 1 person of diarrhea, 8 people of Basant, 1 person of rabies, 8 people of Dhanushtankar, 2 people of black fever, 1 person of malaria and 1 person of anthrax were admitted in the hospital yesterday. Apart from this, 1 person was admitted with unusual wound.

As many children as have been seen admitted to the hospital, each of them has multiple parents in the hospital. They eat at the hospital. Sleep at night in the hospital. Hospital staff complain that many of the parents are not sincere about keeping the hospital clean. Some parents do not use bins but keep garbage everywhere or next to the bed.

This year 1 thousand 196 patients with measles symptoms have been treated in this hospital. 807 people have been admitted among them. 259 of them had confirmed measles. 32 people died of measles symptoms in this hospital.

Went to the hospital yesterday and saw a cleaner environment than the previous day. The caretaker said, ‘I am trying to keep the hospital clean. But everyone needs cooperation.

Public health experts say there is a risk of disease spreading from any hospital. People go to hospital for treatment of one disease and return with another disease. That risk is even greater in infectious disease hospitals. It is the government’s responsibility to reduce this risk. There are various arrangements for this.

Mushtaq Hossain, former chief scientific officer of the government’s Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), told Prothom Alo that no one is paying attention to the issue. There is no treatment in this environment. It is being pretended to be medical, farce. This hospital needs to take measures to cope with the increased patient pressure as well as increase other support. The government can do that now.