As the demand for saline in the country has increased suddenly amid the dengue outbreak, pharmaceutical companies in the country are struggling to produce the required saline, Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque said on Saturday.
"About 40,000 bags of saline are needed on average every day. Monthly demand is about 12 lakh bags."
In this situation, all saline manufacturing companies in the country have been asked to increase production, the minister said after visiting the dengue unit of Manikganj 250-bed Sadar Hospital on Saturday.
If necessary, the ministry has been instructed to import saline from abroad, Maleque said.
He also said that there is no shortage of dengue testing kits in any government hospital in the country
"If there is a shortage of dengue testing kits in any government hospital, it will be supplied quickly as per demand," he added.
Nine more deaths were reported in 24 hours till Friday morning, raising the fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh to 373 this year.
So far, the DGHS has recorded 80,074 dengue cases and 70,026 recoveries this year.
