Child dies with measles symptoms as ICU not available in time, family alleges

A child, 8 months old, has died while undergoing treatment with measles symptoms at Sylhet's Shahid Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital. The family has alleged that the child died because an ICU bed was not available in time. However, hospital authorities said the child was shifted to the ICU after a bed became available, and died about half an hour later.

The child, Ayan, died on Saturday afternoon. He was the son of Morshed Alam and Khorsheda Begum of the Banglabazar area in Dowarabazar upazila, Sunamganj.

The child's father, Morshed Alam, said Ayan was admitted to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital around 7:30pm on Friday. When an ICU facility was not available there, they later brought him to Shahid Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital.

Morshed Alam claimed that after arriving at the hospital, they were asked to arrange oxygen. Although the child needed ICU care, no bed was available at the time. After waiting for about two hours, Ayan died.

"How could an ICU bed become available after the patient died?" he asked.

Ayan's mother, Khorsheda Begum, broke down in tears after her son's death. She alleged that doctors did not see her son in time and did not provide proper treatment. She demanded justice.

However, hospital authorities have denied the family's allegations.

Shahid Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital Residential Medical Officer Mizanur Rahman said Ayan had been admitted to Osmani Hospital earlier. He was brought directly to Shamsuddin Hospital without written approval. The child's condition was critical upon arrival.

He said when the child arrived, there was no bed available in the ICU. He was kept in the emergency department under observation and given oxygen and necessary treatment.

Later, when a patient in the ICU was moved to a ward, a bed became available for Ayan. He was then shifted to the ICU, where he died about half an hour later, Mizanur Rahman said.

He further said that when ICU beds are unavailable, concerned doctors usually communicate in advance. Before the doctors at Osmani Hospital could communicate, Ayan's relatives brought him to Shamsuddin Hospital.

Hospital authorities maintained that the child was not left without care due to the lack of an ICU bed. Until a bed became available, he was kept in the emergency department with oxygen and necessary treatment, and was later shifted to the ICU.