Bogura Correspondent:

The government hospitals in Bogura are currently reporting a significant surge in patients, particularly children and the elderly, suffering from cold-related illnesses due to intense cold waves.

The state-owned healthcare facilities are admitting two to three times more patients than their official capacity, according to data compiled from 17 public hospitals in the district.

The cold-related illnesses, with most of which the patients are arriving in the hospitals, include pneumonia, asthma and bronchitis.

The Bogura Civil Surgeon’s Office said it had yet to receive consolidated mortality data, citing delays in reporting from hospitals, under scoring gaps in real-time health surveillance during emergencies.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said a mild cold wave is sweeping across Bogura and other northern districts and could persist for several more days.

Ashekur Rahman, an assistant meteorologist, said the lowest temperature in Bogura’s western Dupchanchia area fell to 8.2C at 6am on Monday last, with humidity at 90 per cent. Across the district, temperatures ranged from a low of 9.5C in the early morning to a high of 20C in the afternoon.

The cold snap has led to a surge in respiratory and other seasonal illnesses, overwhelming public healthcare facilities. Doctors and nurses say they are struggling to cope with the pressure as patients’ number far exceeds the bed capacity.

“At present, patient inflow has increased sharply due to the cold,” said Dr Hasibul Hasan, a duty physician at Sonatola Upazila Health Complex, adding, “We are doing our best with limited manpower.” He said three deaths had been recorded at the facility alone in recent days, including one from a heart attack linked to extreme cold.

Conditions at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital, the largest public hospital in the district, reflect the pressure on the system. The paediatric, medicine and burn units are operating at two to three times higher their capacity, with multiple patients sharing beds.

Hospital wards remain crowded further by a large number of attendants, complicating infection control and patient care.

Hospital officials said 1,421 patients had been admitted over the past three days with illnesses including pneumonia, bronchitis, respiratory distress and diarrhoea. Only one burn injury related to warming by fire has been recorded so far this winter.

Patients’ families say shortages of doctors and beds are undermining care. “There are too many patients and not enough doctors,” said Parveen Begum, who brought her three-year-old son from Shibganj for pneumonia treatment. Another guardian, Shahjalal Mia from Gabtali, said three to four

children were being treated on a single bed in the paediatric ward.

Staff shortage remains a structural constraint. Dr Anjana Basak, an assistant professor in the paediatric department, said that while the hospital has 1,000 beds, staffing levels are approved for only 600, with many posts vacant. “We are trying to serve 2,500 to 3,000 patients with manpower meant for far fewer beds,” she said.

The hospital’s director, Brigadier General Mohammad Mohsin, confirmed

that 16 people-seven elderly and nine children-had died in the district over the past two weeks as temperatures dropped. He said

children and elderly people are particularly vulnerable during cold spells due to weaker immunity.