No coronavirus test kit at specialised infectious disease hospital

A 50-bed isolation unit has been opened at the specialised Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (BITID) Hospital in Sitakunda, Chattogram for the treatment of novel coronavirus patients.

But the hospital, which was opened for research and treatment of infectious diseases, does not have any test kit to identify a person infected with coronavirus primarily.

Physicians working at BITID will have to be completely dependent upon the test results of Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) in case it finds any patient with COVID-19 infection.

The woes of this specialised hospital do not end here. It does not have any Intensive Care Unit facility.

Though the hospital has facilities to treat infectious diseases, critical patients will have to be transferred to Chattogram Medical College Hospital. This is why there are apprehensions over the health of patients despite wide preparations to face the coronavirus threat.

The hospital authorities, however, said they have sent letters to the health directorate seeking necessary kits. But since it is not possible to come up with an ICU facility overnight, the patients will be sent to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, if necessary, he added.

Chattogram civil surgeon Sheikh Fazle Rabbi on Sunday told Prothom Alo that the coronavirus patients found in Chattogram will be taken to BITID hospital.

A visit to BITID on Tuesday revealed separate blocks for male and female coronavirus patients have been prepared at the west side of old diarrhoea hospital building. Until yesterday the hospital building at the east side could not be prepared for coronavirus patients as there were diarrhoea patients there. Seven rooms with 50 beds of that building could be used. The medical officer’s room has been prepared as a makeshift outdoor facility. The patients with fever, cold, cough, and headache will be sent there first.

A four-member medical specialists’ team, headed by associate professor Md Mamunur Rahman, has been formed to treat coronavirus patients at the hospital. A Rapid Response Team, headed by physician Nasir Uddin, also has been formed.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Mamunur Rashid said, “Work is underway to shift the diarrhoea patients somewhere else. The 50-bed corona block will be prepared at that building soon. Coronavirus suspected cases will be sent from the special outdoor to the isolation block. Otherwise they will be given normal treatment.”

BITID director professor MA Hasan Chowdhury said he talked to the civil surgeon about admitting coronavirus patients at the hospital. Not only at BITID, coronaviruspatients will be given treatment whichever hospital they go to.

The hospital authorities said they have a developed lab facility for testing various diseases. They could have done coronavirus tests if there were necessary kits for this.

There are two kinds of tests to identify coronavirus patients. One is of blood and the other is of nasal mucus and saliva.

MA Hasan Chowdhury said the hospital has necessary human resources and equipment for coronavirus tests. An e-mail has been sent to the director general of health directorate for kits for both the tests.