5,000 medical technologists to be recruited soon: Health minister
Zahid Maleque made the announcement today during the inauguration of the 2000-bed Bashundhara Corona Dedicated Temporary Hospital in the capital’s Bashundhara International Convention Centre
Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque today said 5,000 medical technologists would be appointed soon to further strengthen the health sector in a bid to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
Two thousand physicians and 5,000 nurses have already been recruited within only 10 days, said the minister, adding that the recruitment of the technologists was under process.
Zahid made the announcement today during the inauguration of the 2000-bed Bashundhara Corona Dedicated Temporary Hospital in the capital's Bashundhara International Convention Centre.
"The government has made it possible to found the temporary hospital within only 20 days," said Zahid, describing it as the second largest Covid-19 dedicated hospital in the world.
The hospital includes 2,013 ultra-modern isolation beds, of which 71 have oxygen cylinder facility. Besides, it has 400 more portable oxygen cylinders.
"The facility equipped with intensive care unit (ICU) does not lag behind any Covid-19 dedicated hospital in the world in any way," the minister said.
"Work on plasma therapy is now going on in the country to fight the pandemic, and Remdesivir, the potential drug for Covid-19 patients developed in the US, is being manufactured here too," Zahid said, adding that the government was also storing the medicine.
The government has sent letters to all private and public hospitals in the country to ensure the treatment of general patients in non-Covid-19 hospitals, said the minister.
He also requested people not to hide information about Covid-19 symptoms.
Responding to a question about relaxing the shutdown, Zahid said the government from the very beginning of the outbreak was working according to a plan that included foresight.
"The shutdown was imposed when it was urgent and is being relaxed by maintaining health regulations as doing so is necessary now."
The minister said the government was making decisions considering all sides.
"The country will be able to avoid major financial losses apart from beating the Covid-19 outbreak if people follow health instructions," he said, thanking Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for taking timely steps.