Two pregnant women die in Khulna as ICU beds remain out of reach

Two pregnant women died in Khulna on the same night after their conditions deteriorated amid dengue infections, with their families unable to secure intensive care beds at several hospitals.

Nusrat Jahan, who was expecting her third child, died while being taken to Dhaka after no ICU bed was found at hospitals in Khulna. Her unborn baby also could not be saved. Seven-month pregnant Sadia Afrin Sumaiya died at another Khulna hospital hours later after her family failed to find an ICU bed despite taking her to multiple facilities.

Nusrat tested positive for dengue last Friday, when her platelet count fell to 62,000. She was admitted to a private hospital in Khulna, but doctors advised shifting her to an ICU after her condition worsened the following day. Her family contacted several private hospitals before taking her to Khulna Medical College Hospital, where no ICU bed was available.

She was later taken towards Dhaka by ambulance. Her condition deteriorated near Bhanga in Faridpur early Sunday, and she was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors declared her dead. Attempts to save the baby also failed.

Nusrat’s family had been preparing for the birth of her third child. She and her husband, Nahid Hasan, had consulted a doctor on September 15, and a caesarean section had been scheduled for Sunday. Her six-year-old daughter, Rauda, is now asking relatives, “Whom will I call Amma?”

Sumaiya developed a fever after both her mother and father tested positive for dengue earlier in the week. As she was seven months pregnant, her family initially believed the fever could be related to pregnancy and did not have her tested for dengue. She began bleeding on Saturday night and was taken to Gazi Medical College Hospital, where doctors advised ICU care.

As no ICU bed was available there, she was taken to City Medical College Hospital. Her family said they searched other hospitals as well but could not find an available bed. She was eventually admitted to the labour ward, where she died early Sunday. Her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Keya, continues to ask for her mother.

The two deaths have highlighted the pressure on Khulna’s hospitals amid a surge in dengue cases. According to the Directorate General of Health Services, 1,655 dengue patients were admitted and six died nationwide in the 24 hours to 8am Monday, taking this year’s death toll to 190 and total hospitalisations to 63,627.

DGHS figures show Khulna Division recorded 271 new dengue admissions during that period. Earlier this month, health authorities identified Khulna as one of five divisions facing heightened dengue risks, with increased infections and Aedes breeding sites.

Khulna City Corporation Chief Health Officer Sharif Shammuiul Islam said official dengue figures are collected directly from hospitals, meaning deaths occurring without hospital admission as dengue cases may not be reflected in government records. The city corporation says it is running seven free medical camps for dengue patients while continuing mosquito-control activities.