Govt increasing hospital beds but no alternative to prevent Covid-19 transmission: health minister

No patient will be deprived of treatment till an inch of space in hospitals is vacant, Health Minister Zahid Maleque today said.

"The government is increasing beds in hospitals to treat the rising number of Covid-19 patients. But treating a huge number of patients will not be possible if transmission continues to rise rapidly. So there is no alternative to prevent transmission," Zahid Maleque said while inaugurating the reinstalled 10 ICU beds in Dhaka Medical College Hospital, joining virtually.

He informed they have turned a market of DNCC into a Covid-19 dedicated hospital, equipped with 50 ICU beds, 200 HDU beds and 1,000 isolation beds.

"If we fail to implement 18-point directives of the prime minister and necessary health rules, the transmission of virus will turn worse in the coming days," the minister said urging everyone to maintain health rules.