Nineteen district hospitals in Bangladesh currently have no functioning intensive care unit (ICU) services, according to the Directorate General of Health Services. The shortage has become critical as hospitals struggle to accommodate patients during a measles outbreak. Families are being forced to wait for hours or move between hospitals in search of ICU beds, with many patients dying before receiving care. The crisis is most acute in pediatric hospitals, where demand for ICU beds far exceeds availability.

The report reveals that Bangladesh has 1,620 ICU beds nationwide, about 10 percent of which are nonfunctional. Many ICU units built during the COVID-19 pandemic with World Bank funding are now idle due to corruption, mismanagement, and lack of trained personnel. Equipment worth millions of taka lies unused, and some hospitals have locked or incomplete ICU facilities. Experts say the shortage reflects deeper failures in planning, staffing, and health system management.

Health authorities say the government is working on long-term plans to reopen closed ICUs and recruit skilled staff. However, public health specialists warn that without urgent action, the country’s critical care capacity will remain dangerously inadequate.