SUSHANTA GHOSH

Amid a rising measles outbreak in Barishal division, three infected children are sharing a single bed at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH), highlighting a severe shortage of beds and overcrowding.

Hospital authorities said 44 measles patients are currently being treated in just 15 beds.

On one such bed lie twin brothers Rafsan and Hafsan, aged one year and seven months, along with another infected child.

Their mother, Sonia Akter, said she brought them to SBMCH fearing inadequate treatment at the district hospital.

“I am extremely worried. I do not understand how they will receive proper treatment when three infected children are on one bed,” she said, adding that she and another guardian are also sharing the same bed. “That makes five people on a single bed.”

The situation reflects a wider crisis in the paediatric ward, where isolation arrangements exist but are inadequate due to overcrowding.

During a visit, this correspondent found patients everywhere, with many children lying on the floor amid a shortage of beds. Most were admitted with fever and cold-related complications.

Hospital sources said 491 patients are currently admitted on the second and third floors, including He “We

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