Covid-19 fighters in BITID deprived of food, water

The doctors and nurses at the Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (BITID) in Chattogram have been resilient in discharging their duties in the Covid-19 isolation ward, although they are having to manage their own as there is no support from the hospital authorities.

According to officials of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the hospital authorities are supposed to take all responsibility of food and lodging for the doctors and healthcare providers in the isolation ward.

However, BITID authorities were denying the doctors and nurses their basic right to food citing budget crisis. 

This has frustrated many of the healthcare providers.       

Tanjima Chowdhury, a senior staff nurse of BITID, posted on Facebook on Thursday morning that they had to do an eight-hour long night shift at the isolation unit without food or even water.

To her utter dismay, Tanjima later found there was nothing in her quarantine room at the hospital for breakfast.

"I come to know in the morning, after performing duty in isolation ward without taking any food or even a glass of water, that the authority could not provide us with any breakfast. They do not have budget, and that we will have to manage our own food. Is this a punishment for becoming a nurse and perform in the Covid-19 isolation ward? We do not have any N95 mask. Where did all the budget go?" she said in her post.

The doctors, nurses and other staffers performing duty in isolation ward at Chattogram General Hospital are being provided with food and lodging, but the BITID authorities have told us that they do not have budget for our food, a doctor of BITID told The Daily Star requesting anonymity.

"Is it possible for us to find food especially when we are in isolation?" the doctor inquired.

Echoing the same, Prof Dr Shakil Ahmed, in-charge of BITID laboratory, said they were not provided any food by authorities.

"The doctors and technicians in my lab have to work in three shifts...we have to collect and test over 100 samples a day but no one takes care of us...nobody wants to know whether we had any food or not," he said.

Contacted, BITID Director Prof Dr MA Hasan said around 200 doctors, nurses and other staff work in BITID and it was not possible for the authorities to arrange food for all of them.

"We have not received any budget from the government in this regard," he said. 

Asked why they were not providing food to the small teams who are performing duty in isolation ward, Dr Hasan claimed the hospital cooks had been asked to provide the healthcare workers with food.

This was, however, not the case, if everyone in the isolation ward is to be believed.

Contacted, Chattogram Divisional Director of Directorate General of Health Services Dr Hasan Shahriar Kabir said it is the responsibility of the hospital authorities to arrange food and residence for the doctors and healthcare providers working in Covid-19 isolation ward.

The BITID has already received fund from some lawmakers and other persons, he claimed.

"I don't understand about their fund crisis in providing food to Covid-19 responders," Dr Hasan Shahriar said.

"We are looking into it," he added.     

A total of four Covid-19 patients were undergoing treatment at BITID till yesterday, said sources.