Bangladesh has cancelled leave for health workers, including doctors, as floods that began last week hit 11 districts and killed at least 54 people across the country, authorities have said.
“The government has made maximum preparations to continue healthcare services in the 11 flood-hit districts, including leave cancellation for health workers,” Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain said at a news conference at the ministry in the capital, Dhaka, on Monday.
Several districts in southeastern Chattogram division have been flooded due to heavy rains and landslides since last Sunday. The Meteorological Department has also warned of flooding in eastern and northern regions.
“High chances of cholera in the flood-hit districts. So, we are on high alert and providing water purifying tablets, oral saline and necessary medical supplies and relief,” the minister added.
Meanwhile, three more people were killed in the floods, taking the death toll to 54 in seven districts, including southeastern Chattogram, coastal Cox’s Bazar and the hilly districts of Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachari, according to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.
More than 600,000 people have been affected, with over 155,000 stranded by floodwaters, the ministry said in its latest flood situation update.
The highest number of deaths was recorded in coastal Cox’s Bazar, where 31 people were killed, including 13 Rohingya.
About 1.2 million Rohingya live in Cox’s Bazar after fleeing Myanmar military crackdowns in August 2017.
Bangladesh, a disaster-prone South Asian country, sees seasonal monsoon rains between July and September, with severe flooding in low-lying areas and landslides in hilly districts.
