Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof Dr ABM Khurshid Alam has blamed some media for breaking the morale of the health workers through criticism.
He said, “Our doctors, nurses, health department and health ministry staff are working at the risk of their lives in the coronavirus pandemic. In this situation, the criticism of some media is breaking our morale.”
Dr Khurshid Alam made the comment at a virtual press conference from the Director General of Health Services on Wednesday.
The Health DG said, “We have seen journalists as comrades-in-arms from the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. They have also extended their hand of cooperation and stood by us. However, even at this time, some media are breaking our morale through criticism. It is normal to be criticized if we are wrong. But if someone misleads people through criticism without knowing, without understanding, without looking for details, then we can’t be right.”
He further said, “Our doctors, nurses, employees of every healthcare department including the health department and the health ministry are working at the risk of their lives. Do not confuse people in this situation, do not break our morale, stand by our side. We are working under the leadership and direction of the Prime Minister. Our chances of making a mistake are slim. Even then people are not above mistakes, we can be wrong.”
Regarding the Bashundhara Corona Hospital, the Director General of the DGHS said, “We have closed the Bashundhara Corona Hospital as it was not in a condition in which the hospital was built. We have spread all the equipments there in the hospitals all over the country. We also have a list of where a tissue paper box was given. You can take them if you want.”
“It costs more than Tk 60 lakh per month to run the Bashundhara Corona Hospital. But there were only 15 to 20 patients. The hospital had manpower of 400 to 450 including doctors and nurses. Besides, more than a thousand officers and employees including security personnel were working there. Due to the low number of patients, it became difficult to bear the cost of the hospital without closing it. In that situation we were forced to close the hospital,” he added.
The Health DG added, ‘The DNCC Corona Hospital has been criticized in several media outlets. The news has been served without proper search. Their complaint is that we are spending government money by using new establishment instead of using the previous ones. But you will know that we have a 200-bed ICU in the previous establishment (DNCC isolation center). On the new eighth floor, we have provided 950 more beds. Each bed has an oxygen system. So the hospital which was built with 200 beds, could the making of 900 beds hospital there be possible?”
