The government has put in place the highest level of preparedness to ensure uninterrupted healthcare services in 11 flood-affected districts in eastern Bangladesh, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain said on Monday.

"No patient should be deprived of treatment. Adequate stocks of medicines, saline, antivenom and healthcare personnel have been kept ready, while additional medical teams will be deployed from the central level if necessary," he said.

The minister made the remarks at a press briefing on healthcare services in flood-affected areas at the Secretariat.

He said the leave of health workers in vulnerable districts had been cancelled to ensure continuous medical services as heavy rainfall and flash floods over the past few days had inundated several districts in the Chattogram region, disrupting communication, economic activities and healthcare facilities.

Special healthcare services are being provided in 11 flood-hit districts — Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Feni, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Chandpur, Cumilla and Brahmanbaria, he said.

The minister said medical teams have taken emergency measures to keep services running, including relocating equipment when floodwater entered the ground floor of a hospital.

"A senior physician has been assigned to monitor the overall health situation in each district, while the Health Ministry's control room is operating round the clock to coordinate response efforts and collect field-level information," he said.

The ministry is maintaining constant coordination with district administrations, civil surgeons, hospital authorities and local administrations, he added.

Special instructions have been issued to ensure healthcare services for pregnant women, children and people living in remote areas, the minister said.

Highlighting the increased risk of snakebites during floods, Sakhawat urged people to take victims to hospitals instead of traditional healers.

He said five snakebite patients were admitted to hospitals on the first night of the flooding and recovered after receiving antivenom treatment.

Health Secretary Md Kamruzzaman Chowdhury said 95 snakebite patients had so far received treatment at hospitals in flood-affected districts and all of them were now healthy.

He said more than 1,000 vials of antivenom are currently available, while 21,000 vials have been stocked at the district level. Another 25,000 vials are expected to be added within the next 15 days, ensuring adequate supplies of the life-saving medicine.

The health secretary said water purification tablets were being distributed to prevent waterborne diseases following the floods.

He added that sufficient stocks of oral rehydration salts, intravenous saline, medicines and specialised medical teams had been kept ready to tackle diarrhoea, cholera and other waterborne diseases. Arrangements have also been made to transfer patients to higher-level hospitals if required.