Intensive care shortages strain Bangladesh dengue response

Critically ill dengue patients in Bangladesh are struggling to secure intensive care beds as hospitals face growing pressure, according to reporting by The Daily Star.

At Dhaka Medical College Hospital, which has 113 intensive care unit (ICU) beds, a duty doctor said she recently referred a patient elsewhere because neither intensive care nor coronary care beds were available.

Reporters observed extra beds in dengue wards and patients receiving treatment on floors. Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital was arranging additional ward space as its existing 100 dengue beds remained unchanged.

Associate professor HM Nazmul Ahsan said most dengue patients could be managed in general wards with appropriate care, but some with serious complications required advanced support.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) recorded at least 295 dengue deaths and 95,451 hospitalizations this year through Oct. 9.