Crisis at Feni Hospital: Children Treated on the Floor Amid Severe Overcrowding

At just fifteen days old, Mariam Jannat is already battling pneumonia. Her mother, Marjina Akter, rushed her to Feni’s 250-bed General Hospital seeking urgent treatment. But with the children’s ward overflowing, the newborn has been placed on a thin sheet on the cold floor—one of many infants receiving care without a proper bed.

A sudden spike in cold-related illnesses across the district has led to an alarming rise in cases of pneumonia, fever, respiratory infections and severe colds among children. As a result, the hospital is struggling to cope with a patient load nearly five times its intended capacity.

Hospital Capacity Snapshot

Marjina, who travelled from North Fazilpur in Sadar upazila, said,
“We didn’t get a bed. I’m staying in a corner of the floor with my baby. The cold floor is dangerous—she could fall even sicker.”

Hospital corridors and verandas are now lined with makeshift bedding. At least 150 children are being treated on the floor. Many families, unable to find space or proper care, are reluctantly moving to private hospitals or even other cities, incurring far higher costs.

Abraham Islam, who came from Sharshadi, said he had admitted his 3.5-month-old child with a respiratory infection.
“We’ve been on the floor for three days. There’s no bed, and even medicines are hard to get,” he said.

Senior nurse Bonani Biswas explained,
“Cold-related illnesses began rising in October, but November has been overwhelming. Keeping the children safe is a major challenge now.”

Ward in-charge Rownaq Jahan added that the presence of multiple family members with each patient makes managing the ward even more difficult.

Paediatric specialist Dr Md Iqbal Hossain said,
“We are working with limited staff. Patients on the floor are treated with saline and emergency medicines and discharged once they show slight improvement.”

Hospital superintendent Mohiuddin Ahmed stated,
“We have shortages, but everyone is doing their best. The number of patients should decrease once the weather stabilises.”

Despite the relentless effort of medical staff, the sharp rise in infections suggests that the crisis may worsen unless temperatures improve soon.

Khaborwala/SJ