An eight-month-old child has died at a hospital in Sylhet after the family alleged that he could not get an ICU bed when he needed one.
The incident occurred at Shaheed Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital in Sylhet on Saturday (August 8). The deceased, Ayan Ahmed, was the eight-month-old son of Morshed Alam and Khorsheda Begum from the Banglabazar area of Dowarabazar upazila in Sunamganj.
According to the family, Ayan was admitted to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital around 7:30pm on Friday (August 7) with symptoms of measles. As no ICU bed was available, he was placed in a general ward. The family said hospital authorities told them he would be transferred to the ICU as soon as a bed became available.
As an ICU bed was not available at Osmani Medical College Hospital, the family later took the child to Shaheed Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital, they said.
Morshed Alam and Khorsheda Begum alleged that after bringing Ayan to Shamsuddin Hospital, they informed hospital staff that the child needed oxygen. However, they said they were asked to arrange oxygen themselves. They further alleged that although the child subsequently required intensive care, he was not provided with an ICU bed.
The family claimed that after waiting for nearly two hours, the child died and was then taken to the ICU.
However, Dr Mizanur Rahman, Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of Shaheed Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital, gave a different account.
He said the child was brought to the hospital around noon on Saturday with symptoms of measles and was admitted for treatment. At the time of his arrival, no ICU bed was available, so the child was taken to the emergency department and kept under observation.
“Later, when an ICU bed became available, the child was transferred there. The patient died there,” Dr Mizanur Rahman said.
He also said Ayan had earlier been admitted to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital around 7:30pm on Friday with symptoms of measles. However, according to the RMO, the child’s parents brought him to Shamsuddin Hospital without obtaining a discharge certificate from Osmani Hospital or informing its authorities.
“If a patient requires ICU care, the transfer should be made after prior preparation,” he said.
Expressing his condolences over the child’s death, Dr Mizanur Rahman said hospital authorities coordinate transfers when a patient requires ICU care.
“In this case, they came to the hospital on their own without prior coordination. It would have been better if they had contacted the hospital beforehand,” he said.
