Amid rising COVID-19 cases in the country, Bangladesh has opened a 1000 beds dedicated COVID-19 hospital in capital Dhaka, easing pressure on existing hospitals in the city, according to a report in Dhaka Tribune. 

Zahid Maleque, the country’s health minister, said on Sunday, “As many as 250 of the 1,000 beds will initially be available, and it is hoped that the hospital will be fully operational by the end of the month.” 

“Bangladesh is facing a second wave of COVID-19 and around 160,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last month-and-a-half,” he said. “Deaths have increased by five times and hospitals are filling up with patients,” he added. 

He said there was an urgent need to expand healthcare facilities, so the government has prepared the DNCC Market as a modern, dedicated COVID-19 hospital in a month.

All 1,000 beds at the hospital will have an oxygen supply, while 500 will have Intensive Care Unit (ICU) facilities. The initial plan for the hospital was to have 112 ICU beds and 112 High Dependency Unit (HDU) beds installed.

“We are hopeful that the hospital will be fully operational by April 29. Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) services will be provided to all patients at the ICUs, and we have mechanisms for ventilation in severe cases as well,” Maleque said.