DAKKA, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladesh government has increased emergency preparations to ensure uninterrupted health services in 11 flood-affected regions.
Bangladesh Minister of Health and Family Welfare Serdar Muhammad Sakhawat Hossain said in Dhaka on Monday, "We have sufficient stock of medicine, serum and antidote. If necessary, additional medical teams from the center will be dispatched to the field."
Stating that the permits of healthcare workers in the flood-affected areas were canceled in order to avoid disruption of healthcare services, Hossain stated that they activated a 24-hour control center to coordinate response activities and collect data from the field.
The Minister stated that the authorities are working in coordination with local administrations, health authorities and hospital managements to follow the situation closely.
Stating that they gave special instructions regarding access to health services for pregnant women, children and communities in hard-to-reach areas, Hossain called for snakebite cases to be directed to hospitals, not traditional healers, during the flood.
Referring to the latest data published by the Bangladesh Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief and requesting anonymity, a senior official stated that 3 more deaths occurred due to floods, thus increasing the total loss of life recorded during the disaster to 54.