Bangladesh’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain has instructed hospitals across the country not to discharge dengue patients until they have made a full recovery, even if their fever has subsided.
The minister issued the directive on Thursday while attending a ceremony at Dhaka Medical College (DMC), where modern microscopes and laboratory equipment were handed over to the Department of Pathology.
He said the government was reinforcing its response to dengue by introducing updated clinical guidelines for doctors, expanding training programmes for healthcare workers and adopting new technologies to control the spread of Aedes mosquitoes.
The minister said hospitals should exercise particular caution when deciding whether a dengue patient is fit to leave hospital, warning that a reduction in fever does not necessarily mean the danger has passed.
He highlighted plasma leakage as one of the most serious complications of dengue, saying it remains a major cause of death among patients.
To improve treatment, a panel of specialist physicians has prepared a daily clinical protocol, which is being distributed to doctors through mobile platforms and official websites to ensure timely access to the latest guidance.
Alongside medical treatment, the government is also increasing efforts to reduce mosquito breeding. Sakhawat Husain said authorities planned to procure specialised tablets designed to destroy mosquito larvae in stagnant water.
According to the minister, the tablets can be placed in small pools of standing water, including those found in discarded tyres, coconut shells and other containers where Aedes mosquitoes commonly breed, helping to eliminate larvae before they develop into adult mosquitoes.
He added that nationwide cleanliness campaigns had been under way for the past two months as part of broader efforts to curb the spread of dengue.
Training for physicians has also been expanded, with patient care remaining the government’s highest priority.
Looking beyond the current outbreak, the minister said Bangladesh’s medical education system would be modernised to reflect advances in global healthcare, adding that work on reforming the curriculum had already begun.
He also acknowledged that Dhaka Medical College had fallen behind international standards in recent years, particularly in diagnostic capacity. The Department of Pathology, he said, had faced difficulties after its government-owned microscope stopped functioning three years ago without being replaced.
The newly installed high-resolution microscope is expected to improve diagnostic services significantly. The minister said the equipment would enable specialists to diagnose cancer more accurately and efficiently, strengthening patient care at one of the country’s leading public hospitals.
Health Secretary Kamruzzaman Chowdhury, Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services Professor Dr Prabhat Chandra Biswas, Director General of the Directorate General of Medical Education Professor Dr Nazmul Hossain, Dhaka Medical College Principal Professor Dr Md Mazharul Shahin and Vice-Principal Professor Dr Mosarrat Sultana were among those attending the ceremony.
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