Treatment of July uprising injured govt’s top priority: Health adviser

The treatment of July uprising injured has always been the top priority of the interim government, Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum said today (2 February).

"Upon taking office, the chief adviser instructed us to prioritise the injured, a directive we have diligently followed," she said at a press briefing held at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The adviser highlighted the efforts made to provide the best possible care, including bringing in doctors from five countries.

"Our focus was on providing the best medical care to those who lost limbs and eyesight. Despite inheriting a depleted treasury and substantial debt, we have never compromised on the treatment of the injured," she explained.  

She further noted that 30 injured individuals had already been sent to Bangkok and Singapore for specialised treatment.

Nurjahan acknowledged the lack of air ambulance services in Bangladesh, forcing the government to spend Tk60 lakh per trip to bring air ambulances from Bangkok and Singapore. 

"But we never thought about money. Our goal is to restore our children's health at any cost," she added.

Mount Elizabeth Hospital Associate Professor Donald Yu, who was present at the briefing, described his experience treating the injured as "the most unique in his medical life."  

He noted the unusually high number of eye injuries and urged the Bangladesh government to provide adequate psychological treatment, acknowledging that some patients would have to cope with permanent vision loss.

Dr Md Sayedur Rahman, special assistant at the health ministry, clarified that some of the issues raised by the injured fell outside the ministry's purview.  

However, he assured that the ministry would provide full cooperation to those involved in future rehabilitation efforts. 

Doctors from Singapore and the United States were also present at the press briefing.