Pneumonia alarming in B'baria

A child attacked with Pneumonia being given Oxygen at B'baria Sadar Hospital. The photo was taken yesterday. PHOTO: STAR

Two of them-- four month-old Hasan and 16 day-old Yusuff --died at Brahmanbaria Sadar Hospital yesterday.

The rest four died at the hospital on Sunday and the day before, hospital sources said. They are Irin Babu, Babu, Shohag, and Babu.

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Nineteen patients died from September 1 to 20.

The disease claimed at least 66 children and attacked 4318 in the last three months. Pneumonia became widespread after the floods which inundated the whole district, the sources said.

The number of pneumonia patients is high due to lack of awareness among their parents, they said.

Three of the babies died after admission and the rest three during first aid.

Patients with acute respiratory infection (ARI) in lungs are being brought to different hospitals in large numbers every.

This correspondent during a visit to the Sadar Hospital saw 60 pneumonia patients at the children's ward. Many of them were on floors as there are only 10 beds for children.

Guardians of many of the patients alleged that nurses realise extra money from them for services. They realise Tk 20 to 30 to provide the Nibulizer machine, Abul Hai father of Arafath alleged.

Safiqul Islam, father of Bannya; Md. Salim, father of Muhammad Ali and Sanjoy, father of Peeal also made the same allegation at the hospital.

Refuting the allegation, Senior Nurse Ferdausy Begum said they do not take any extra money from any patient. "Sometimes nurses take money for buying Bentolin from nearby shops due to short supply of the medicine at the hospital", she said.

When contacted, child specialist Dr Narayon Chandra Saha said the death rate is high because parents bring their children to hospital when their condition turns serious. This is because of lack of awareness.

"We are launching a special programme to create awareness among people about pneumonia", he said.

According to records at the hospital, at least 1451 pneumonia patients were given treatment in August. Of them, 12 died. Seventeen out of 1323 patients died in July, 18 out of 1435 died in June.