Dengue Crisis Ravages Patients as Hospitals Fail to Ensure Essential Saline, Medicines in Kaliakair

The growing number of dengue patients at Kaliakair Upazila Health Complex in Gazipur has reportedly led to a shortage of saline supplies compared to demand. Patients and their relatives say they have to buy saline from outside when the hospital cannot provide it as needed. This is placing an additional financial burden on low-income families.

The hospital wards are overcrowded, with no available space. Dengue patients are lying on beds, floors and verandas. Many are receiving saline under mosquito nets. Some children are crying in their fathers’ arms, while others are sitting beside their mothers in distress. The same situation prevails in both the male and female wards. Patients and their relatives have also gathered in front of the hospital entrance.

According to hospital sources, 160 dengue patients have been admitted so far this month. Many have recovered after receiving treatment and returned home. Meanwhile, private hospitals have reported 8,025 dengue cases this month. Five deaths have also been reported so far.

Patients and their relatives alleged that although doctors prescribe saline, the hospital fails to supply it according to demand, forcing them to purchase it from outside. As a result, families are struggling to bear the cost of treatment.

Expressing frustration, a patient’s relative said, “They don’t give us anything, not even a little medicine. We have been sitting here for two days. That’s why, out of anger, I am saying, let’s leave. Just remove this cannula from my hand. Yesterday, we bought saline with our own money and had it administered. The saline has finished. Yesterday, they gave us only two fever tablets. Why didn’t they give us anything else? Now we are saying, let’s leave. We don’t need this hospital; we will go home.”

Another patient said, “Is there any benefit in staying at this hospital? We will leave. We are not receiving any treatment here. We have to buy everything from outside. They are not giving us anything.” A relative of a patient who has been admitted for five days said, “Today marks five days since the patient was admitted. We are buying saline ourselves. How can we continue like this? What is the point of being admitted, then? What does a government hospital mean?”

Another patient’s relative said, “We brought a dengue patient here, but the hospital is not providing any medicines or other supplies. We have to buy everything from outside. We are not receiving any proper service. We have to pay for everything ourselves. A government hospital is supposed to provide treatment and medicines, but they are providing nothing. They give only one medicine at a time. If that is enough, fine; otherwise, we have to buy the rest from outside.”

However, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr. Sadia Taslim Munmun said there was no shortage of saline at the hospital. She said the rising number of dengue patients had increased demand beyond the available supply. Affected patients and their relatives have called for adequate saline supplies to reduce their suffering.

Residents of Kaliakair are also demanding improvements in the quality of healthcare before increasing the number of hospital beds. They say ensuring adequate medicine supplies, quality food for patients and the availability of saline is essential to restoring public confidence in government hospitals.