Cold snap overwhelms Barishal hospital as child patients surge

Patient pressure has surged at Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital as cold-related illnesses, including pneumonia, rise sharply among children.

The overwhelming situation forced three to four patients to share a single bed.

Hospital sources said the two paediatric wards on the second and third floors, with a combined capacity of 41 beds, are currently accommodating around 300 admitted children, far exceeding capacity.

Doctors said the pressure has intensified with the onset of winter, leaving medical staff struggling to manage the growing influx, although hospital authorities insisted all essential services are being provided.

The paediatric wards are receiving more than 150 admissions a day on average, while the hospital’s outpatient department is also witnessing a heavy rush, mostly of children.

Five child specialist doctors are providing services at the outpatient unit, where more than 500 children are treated on government working days, hospital sources said.

Many parents have brought their children from rural areas after initial treatment at local pharmacies failed to improve conditions such as fever and cold.

Relatives of patients said children were arriving at the hospital with abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fever, cold, cough, breathing difficulties and pneumonia, and were receiving treatment following doctors’ advice.

Aklima Begum, whose child is admitted to the hospital, said she first consulted a village doctor, but the fever kept recurring.

“After tests at the Barishal hospital, doctors confirmed pneumonia,” she said, adding that the shortage of beds has caused severe suffering as two to three children are being treated on a single bed.

Another patient’s relative, Lima Begum, said she came to the hospital after medicines from a local pharmacy failed to reduce her child’s fever and cough.

Doctors said the number of cold-related cases has increased by around one and a half times compared to usual periods.

Hospital Resident Medical Officer Md Nurul Alam said patient numbers were now well above normal levels.

“Although official duty hours are from 9am to 2pm, doctors are now seeing patients until 3pm due to the pressure,” he said.

He warned that cases of cold-related illnesses were likely to rise further and advised parents to be cautious, noting that excessive wrapping of children can also cause sweating, which may worsen cold-related conditions.

Hospital Director Brigadier General AKM Mosiul Munir said the paediatric ward has a limited number of beds, but treatment is continuing despite constraints.

“Nurses are facing greater pressure than doctors due to the patient load,” he said, adding that discussions were ongoing to address the shortage of doctors, including in the outpatient department.

He urged parents to remain cautious during the winter season.

Doctors said the spread of cold-related illnesses has increased due to changing weather conditions and stressed that early treatment and greater awareness could reduce complications.

Meanwhile, Barishal has been experiencing dense fog and overcast skies for the past three days, limiting sunshine and intensifying the cold.

The Barishal met office recorded the minimum temperature at 12.4 degrees Celsius on Saturday, unchanged over the past three days, while the season’s maximum temperature stood at 21.4 degrees Celsius.

Meteorologists warned that temperatures may fall further, noting that the city is receiving only two to two and a half hours of sunshine a day, making the cold feel more severe.