Demand for saline 10 times more this year with rising dengue cases: Health minister
There is a demand for at least 40,000 bags of saline every day, which means 12 lakh bags are needed per month, Maleque said.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque said today (12 August) the demand for saline increased ten times more due to a rise in the number of dengue patients this year.
During his visit to the 250-bed Manikganj General Hospital, the health minister said there is a demand for at least 40,000 bags of saline every day, which means 12 lakh bags are needed per month.
Maleque also said the companies producing saline across the country have been asked to produce as much as they can.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"The companies are producing saline accordingly. But the demand is still much higher," he added.
"Instructions have already been given to import saline from abroad for two months, if needed," he said.
The health minister said all necessary measures had been taken to provide medical care to dengue patients.
"In Dhaka, there are 3,000 beds already arranged in different hospitals. Of these, about 2,000 beds are filled with dengue patients, and the remaining 1,000 beds are vacant. There are 5,000 beds across the country, with many beds still vacant," he said.
Stating that there is no shortage of dengue testing kits, Maleque said government hospitals have been told they are allowed to buy kits from outside if there is a shortage of supply.
Drawing the attention of city corporations and municipality officials, he said mosquitoes have to be reduced to bring the dengue situation under control.
He urged the officials to use good medicines to further reduce the number of mosquitoes.
