Tuhin Shubhra Adhikary

Hoping to build confidence among the engineers and workers, the metro rail project authorities are setting up two field hospitals for their employees infected with the coronavirus.

Just one year after a rise, Bangladeshi nationals’ deposits in Swiss banks dropped 2.26 percent year-on-year in 2019 to 603 million Swiss francs or Tk 5,427 crore.

Three and a half years ago, life suddenly took a turn for Babu Hossain when a fire gutted his mobile phone repair shop at Bou Bazar in the capital’s Karail slum.

Amid growing concern over the slow pace of work of almost all fast track projects due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the government is working to find ways to speed up the schemes.

In the absence of people dedicated to prevent and control infections at hospitals, healthcare-associated infections are rising across the country, affecting the general populace and healthcare professionals alike.

For 50-year-old Md Mostafa and his wife, last weekend was nothing short of a nightmare. He shuttled from one hospital to another in the capital with his ailing wife Sathi Khanam, a kidney patient, only to be turned away.

Two public hospitals in the capital, including one dedicated to dealing with Covid-19, started getting central oxygen supply yesterday, giving much relief to coronavirus patients, who usually require more oxygen.

With the public hospitals grappling with a rising number of Covid-19 patients, different professional bodies have moved to ensure that their members get preferential treatment at private hospitals, limiting people’s access to healthcare.

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has decided to allow only enlisted motor cars and microbuses to operate under ride-sharing service providers.

Uber Bangladesh Ltd has sought intervention from the Prime Minister’s Office to be able to resume operations in Dhaka and other cities amid the government decision to suspend ride-hailing services until further notice.

Here is some good news for healthcare professionals on the frontline against Covid-19.

More than 70km of roads under the management of Roads and Highways Department (RHD) in four coastal districts have been damaged by cyclone Amphan with 10km still underwater.

More than two and a half months after the government declared Sheikh Russel Gastro Liver Institute and Hospital at the capital’s Mohakhali a designated hospital to treat Covid-19 patients, hospital authorities said they have started providing treatment since Wednesday.

An increasing number of experienced doctors at the frontline in the fight against Covid-19 are falling victim to the virus, creating vacuum in the healthcare system that is already strained by the pandemic.

“Good decisions come from experience, but experience comes from making bad decisions.”

With the need to ensure uninterrupted oxygen supply at public hospitals having become increasingly critical in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, there appears to be a glimmer of hope as the authorities concerned are moving towards installing oxygen tanks in more hospitals.

The government is going to place the budget for the fiscal year 2020-21 tomorrow at a time when the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic. The outbreak has also exposed the weakness in the country’s healthcare system as people felt they did not get the service they expected. The health budget, thus, this time around will draw a lot of attention.

The third metro rail project of the country is being prepared for its physical work to begin from 2023, as the authority is set to sign a contract with a consortium of agencies, both foreign and Bangladeshi, today for general consultancy services.

The government yesterday extended the relaxation of the requirement to obtain driving licences to operate heavy vehicles by one more year to June 2021, following the demand of transport leaders.

The country’s first metro rail project, Mass Rapid Transit-6, may miss its completion deadline in December next year if the construction suffers any further delays.