Isolation units opening in public hospitals to tackle Coronavirus

The government has ordered the public hospitals across the country to open isolation units as a precaution to ensure treatment of Novel Coronavirus patients.

The specialised unit will be opened in sadar hospitals and medical college hospitals in all 64 districts of the country.

Professor Dr Abul Kalam Azad, the director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), on Monday gave the order to all divisional directors and civil surgeons of the health department through videoconferencing.

He discussed with them the needful to prevent the spread of Coronavirus in Bangladesh.

Dr Kalam also directed them to closely observe the inbound passengers from other countries at all land and marine ports.

Dr Ayesha Akter, the director of the DGHS Health Emergency Operation Centre and Control Room, said nobody had been diagnosed with Coronavirus in the country so far.

"But in a precautionary move, the government hospitals have been asked to open isolation units under the health ministry's directive," she added.

She said each public hospital will have to open an isolation unit with several specialised facilities, including five dedicated beds and non-stop oxygen service. "If any patient is diagnosed with Coronavirus, he or she will be treated in this unit."

A meeting on Sunday last reached the decision to open isolation units in government hospitals. It was presided over by the health minister where another decision was made to monitor 24 land and marine ports across the country.

Copies of the letter containing the meeting's decisions were sent to all divisional directors and civil surgeons.

The Coronavirus case was first reported on December 31 last year in Wuhan, the capital of Central China's Hubei province.

Later, the virus spread to different Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai as well as to 11 countries, including the United States, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Australia, France, Canada and India.

As of Monday, the deadly virus affected over 3,000 people and killed as many as 81.