At least 120 people have died in Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s Covid-19 unit in the last 14 days since the treatment of coronavirus infected patients started at the hospital.
Of the deceased, 18 tested positive for Covid-19 and the rest died with Covid-19 symptoms, said the DMCH authorities.
Brig Gen Nasir said: “All the deceased were not coronavirus positive. We found 18 positive but the rest of them were not coronavirus positive.
“Many patients come here with serious conditions. And we found 16 to 17 patients who already died on the way to our hospital. We did not investigate or test them,” he added.
A businessman from Old Dhaka, Sirajul Islam, died on May 10 at DMCH, hours after he was admitted there.
His family claimed that they cried for help when Sirajul stopped breathing but no doctor appeared for help. Later, he died.
A journalist of a national daily was admitted there with Covid-19 symptoms recently and faced an ordeal during treatment.
He complained that doctors hardly attended patients there and it took several days to have his Covid-19 test and the results.
The DMCH director said: “It was an isolated incident. It is not the overall situation at the hospital. We are doing our best. If we get any complaint we take care of it right away.”
“It is a very big challenge for us. In this coronavirus crisis, everybody has been trying to be very caring all over the world. Our doctors, nurses and staff are doing their best,” he added.
He said many of those infected with coronavirus have recovered from DMCH.
“Our doctors and nurses are braver now,” he added.
