The decision was taken at a meeting between the health ministry officials and the ICDDR,B representatives.

"Public hospitals will send ambulances to ICDDR,B to take patients as per the capacity," Director (Disease Control) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Moazzem Hossain told The Daily Star yesterday night. Shifting of the patients has already started, he added.

Meanwhile, patients' admission was very thin in the public hospitals where the government set up special units for treatment of diarrhoea patients three days back.

During a visit to the National Institute of Diseases of Chest and Hospital (NIDCH) yesterday it was found that not a single patient went there for treatment till yesterday evening though a ten-bed ward has been set up for diarrhoea patients.

"People find it more logical to go to the ICDDR,B as our hospital is specialised for chest diseases," said NIDCH Director Mostafizur Rahman.

"There were no special beds for patients like in the ICDDR,B and even toilets are in distant places," said Mohammad Shahin, 20, a diarrhoea patient, while leaving Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for admission to the ICDDR,B.

A total of 33 patients were admitted to the DMCH against 100 beds since Saturday, sources said.

Shaheed Suhrawardi Hospital received only four patients in its 20-bed diarrhoea corner.

However, 37 patients were admitted to Mitford Hospital in last three days against 20 beds allocated for diarrhoea patients.

According to the DGHS, about 4,104 people fell victim to diarrhoea across the country yesterday while one died of the disease.

Pradip K Bardhan, head of ICDDR,B's ICU (intensive care unit), told The Daily Star that 955 patients were admitted to the institute in 24 hours.

A total of 39,093 people were affected with diarrhoea in 39 flood-hit districts since July 30 while seven people died of diarrhoea so far.