7 more injured protesters sent to Thailand for advanced treatment

Seven more individuals injured during the July-August mass uprising have been sent to Thailand for advanced medical treatment. On Tuesday, May 20, they departed Bangladesh on Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-388 in the morning. They will receive treatment at a specialized hospital in Thailand.

Among the injured are, 1 patient from Dhaka Medical College, 1 from Bangladesh Medical University (BMU), 3 from the National Institute of Neurosciences and 2 from the Combined Military Hospital (CMH).

One of the patients from BMU, Abdul Jabbar, still has a bullet lodged near his bladder. Ashraful, currently being treated at CMH, has become completely paralyzed; he was injured during the protest in Jatrabari on August 5. One youth from the Neurosciences Institute has lost function in his left leg, now paralyzed. The rest are also suffering from severe neurological injuries, living in great hardship due to their conditions.

With this group, a total of 47 ‘July Fighters’ have now been sent abroad for better medical treatment. Several of them have already recovered and returned home. Most recently, Khokon Chandra Barman returned to Bangladesh on May 7 after completing the first phase of facial reconstructive surgery in Russia.

Dr. Mahmudul Hasan, the personal officer to Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum, stated that plans are in place to send more than 20 additional injured individuals abroad for treatment.

At 8:30am on Tuesday, the injured were brought to the airport by ambulance. To see them off, present at the airport were, Dr. Md. Zahirul Islam, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, Dr. Shamima Sultana, Airport Health Officer and student representatives Nadia, Nusrat, and Imran.

The injured and their families have asked the nation to pray for their speedy recovery. They also expressed deep gratitude to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs for arranging their treatment.