The authorities are now much more active in battling the coronavirus spread following the 10-point action plan and directives from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's speech to the nation on March 25. This has come as a blessing, after several days of widespread discussion and criticism over inadequate preparation to combat the lethal virus.
The quarters have got new pace and taken new initiatives which have helped to reach personal protective equipment (PPE) both for doctors and nurses in all the districts and medical colleges of the country within the last three days. According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), about 2.91 lakh PPE sets were distributed until Thursday.
In addition to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), examination has begun at Public Health Institute, Dhaka Children's Hospital and Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Disease in Chattogram to identify the virus . As a result, the number of examinations has increased significantly compared to that in the previous days in the country. In addition, Dhaka Medical College, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and other areas outside Dhaka have started the process of setting up and testing equipment.
At the same time, activities of the control room set up in the new building of the health department have also increased. Divided into different groups, from morning to night, they are conducting several activities. A group is collecting information from all over the country, some listing needs, some sending materials to different places, some busy guiding the government and executing plans while some are in charge of giving information to the media.
Directorate General Health Service (DGHS) director general, Dr Abul Kalam Azad told Bangladesh Post, "We are continuously conducting our activities one after another. We got a new pace at our work when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave us 10-point directives. Now we are working round the clock".
"Not only safety equipment or tests, we are doing more every day. Among these, several guidelines have been developed to control and prevent coronavirus (Covid-19) with the help of the World Health Organisation and others. Experts from different levels of the country are also working in the field," he added.
According to COVID- 19 control room information, instructions have been issued for the management of coronavirus hospitals. These include proper use of PPE, guideline for Corona disinfection and environmental protection, home care instructions and others. Besides, guidelines in making antibiotic solutions, corona case definition, social stigma, follow-up on patient identification tests, and corona waste management guidelines have been prepared for hospitals.
Control room coordinator, additional director Dr Nasima Sultana said, a total of 300,000 PPE have been supplied across the country till Thursday night. Apart from this every day, various materials are coming from different institutions and foreign countries.
According to the control room data, 323 institutions have been prepared for institutional quarantine across the country and through these institutions, 18923 people will be provided immediate services at a time. A total of 3,982 people, including 1,123 physicians, 1575 nurses and 1,284 others, are ready to serve in these establishments.
In addition, a flight carrying 10,000 test kits, 10,000 PPE and 1000 'infrared thermometers' arrived in Dhaka last Thursday from China while another flight with 30,000 test kits from China arrived on Friday.
