At Rajshahi Medical College Hospital in Bangladesh, 62 children have died over the past two and a half months amid a severe shortage of intensive care unit (ICU) facilities. Of these, 53 children died while waiting for ICU admission and nine after being admitted. Most of the deceased suffered from pneumonia and measles, conditions that doctors say require intensive care when complications arise. The hospital currently has only 12 ICU beds, with a few allocated for children, far below the demand.

The crisis is compounded by overcrowding in the pediatric ward, where multiple children share single beds and some receive treatment on the floor. A 200-bed specialized children’s hospital, built at a cost of about 350 million taka, has remained unused for three years. Local activists and parents have criticized the authorities for failing to operationalize the facility despite repeated child deaths. Hospital officials acknowledge the shortage and cite manpower and equipment constraints.

Health authorities have pledged to strengthen vaccination drives as measles cases rise, while hospital management plans to activate a new 50-bed ICU complex once staffing and equipment issues are resolved.