RAJBARI, Jan 11: The number of patients suffering from cold-related diseases has been rising steadily in Rajbari amid a prolonged spell of severe winter.
Government and private hospitals and clinics across the district are witnessing a surge in cases of pneumonia, diarrhoea and respiratory complications affecting people of all ages, hospital sources said.
At Rajbari Sadar Hospital, wards are crowded with patients, many of whom are elderly or children.
Sixty-year-old Rokeya, a resident of the district, was admitted to the hospital on Thursday after her cold-related back pain worsened.
Her husband passed away years ago, and her two sons, both rickshaw-pullers, support her.
Since her admission, the family has already spent Tk 900 on medicines, most of which had to be purchased from outside due to shortage at the hospital.
A staff nurse at the hospital said, essential items such as DNS 5 per cent saline is currently out of stock. She also said medicines like Beklo-10 and other tablets needed for pain management are unavailable, leaving patients with no option but to buy them from private pharmacies.
The pressure is also evident in the children's ward. Nurse Papiya said, the ward has only 25 beds, and when patient numbers exceed capacity, children are forced to stay on the floor. "The number of child patients has increased sharply," she added.
In the diarrhoea ward, 16-month-old Khadija has been admitted for the past five days. She was brought from Madapur Union and is yet to recover fully. Her mother said the family has already spent around Tk 1,500 on medicines over the last three days.
Nurses at the hospital said that although children in the cholera ward require 250ml saline, only 1,000ml bags are available, forcing families to purchase the required supplies from outside.
Similar complaints were heard from the respiratory ward. Joydar Molla, 65, from Alipur Village, has been admitted for three days due to breathing difficulties triggered by the cold.
His family said he frequently needs inhalers, nebulisation, gas and syrups. As many of these items are not supplied by the hospital, they are being bought from private pharmacies.
Conditions in some wards have also deteriorated due to poor hygiene. In one diarrhoea ward, a foul smell made it difficult to even enter the room, patients' attendants said.
Children remain among the worst affected. On Saturday, visits to the third floor of the hospital's old building revealed an overcrowded children's ward.
Two-month-old Rokeya was brought in by her father, Nawsher Ali, for gas-related complications. Hospital sources said the paediatric specialist is available only on Saturdays, while on other days patients must rely on limited services.
Due to the growing patient load, the hospital is facing an acute shortage of beds. Despite the constraints, hospital authorities claimed that all possible medical services are being provided.
Hospital officials said the number of child patients is increasing daily. Many patients, however, choose to return home after consulting doctors at the outpatient department, citing overcrowding and unhygienic conditions inside the wards.
During a visit, it was observed that many patients had travelled long distances from rural areas. Several guardians said they initially sought treatment from local pharmacies for fever and cold, but brought their children to the hospital when their condition failed to improve.
Relatives of patients said they are seeking treatment for abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fever, cold, cough, breathing difficulties and pneumonia caused by the severe cold. Most said they are following doctors' advice but are being forced to buy medicines from outside.
Aleya Begum of Mezanpur said, her child was first treated by a village doctor. "When the fever kept returning, we brought the child to the district hospital. Tests later confirmed pneumonia," she said.
Another guardian, Nasima Begum, said despite giving medicines bought from a local pharmacy, her child's fever and cough did not subside. "Doctors later confirmed pneumonia, and treatment is now underway," she added.
Rajbari Sadar Hospital Deputy Director Dr Sheikh Mohammad Abdul Hannan said sudden fluctuations in temperature have led to a rise in cold-related illnesses across the district.
