Sub-District Correspondent: Dulal Miah
Medical experts have expressed deep concern over the videos and allegations that have spread on social media regarding the recent death of 4-year-old child Wise Kuruni Avhan at Universal Medical College Hospital in Mohakhali of the capital. They say that commenting on complex medical science matters without understanding or knowledge and damaging the image of the country’s doctors and medical system by spreading fragmented information is in no way desirable.
The child’s father has alleged that his healthy child came walking into the ICU. But any person with basic knowledge of medical science knows that no healthy child is ever admitted to a hospital, let alone to an ICU. The child’s symptoms were fever, nose bleeding and suspicion of haemorrhagic dengue fever. Considering dengue fever as something minor is a grave mistake. Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever is a severe form in which plasma leaks from the blood vessels and bleeding begins. In this condition, the patient’s blood pressure can suddenly drop, creating Dengue Shock Syndrome. The liver and kidneys may fail, inflammation of the brain may cause convulsions, and the patient may die at any moment.
Experts say there is a complex condition called Dengue Extended Syndrome, where even if the dengue test comes negative, the CRP, Ferritin, Procalcitonin, SGPT and SGOT reports behave like dengue. In this season, many such patients are coming to hospitals. Doctors provide treatment accordingly. But those who lack basic knowledge of medical science do not understand these complex matters. Yet they are the ones creating anger against doctors by making videos, going live and stirring people’s emotions.
The journalist has alleged that the child was given wrong treatment. Yet the sole authority to determine whether any treatment was wrong lies with the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC). The simplification that death means wrong treatment and survival means good treatment is extremely unjust to medical science. The BMDC has so far cancelled the licences of many doctors. Therefore, if there is an allegation, one should go to the BMDC, not take to the streets and make videos.
Professor Dr. M. Monir Hossain is the father of critical care management of children in this country. At one time there was no PICU anywhere in Bangladesh, not even in corporate hospitals. It was under his leadership that the PICU was established at Ayesha Memorial Hospital (now Universal Medical College Hospital). Not only have countless children recovered and returned home, hundreds of paediatric specialist doctors have received training under his supervision.
According to the hospital authorities, from the beginning the doctors showed the highest professionalism and sincerity in saving the patient’s life. Unfortunately, the family’s reluctance and delay in transferring to the PICU hampered the treatment process. When the vitals began to deteriorate from the evening of 01 October, Professor Dr. Mahfuza Shirin decided to transfer to the PICU. But the patient’s mother expressed unwillingness. When the condition deteriorated further on 02 October, she was again asked to go to the PICU. Even then the relatives delayed. Later the patient was transferred to the PICU at 4 pm. But by then it was already too late.
On 03 October at 3:30 pm, when the respiratory condition deteriorated, life support was provided. Despite all efforts, the child died at 5:02 pm.
Now the question is, why so much anger against the doctors? Doctors are becoming afraid to treat complex patients out of fear of the media. As a result, ordinary people will be the ones to suffer. If even the last resort of advanced treatment is destroyed through propaganda, where will patients with complex diseases go in the future?
Why a healthy child came to the hospital, why he went to the ICU—the answers to these questions lie in medical science, which only doctors can properly understand. Concerned persons have called upon the media to come forward not for increasing views, but for uncovering the truth.
News Published By:
Bangladesh Diary
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