A Bangladeshi pilgrim who spent more than three years in hospitals in Saudi Arabia after falling seriously ill while performing Umrah has died just over a month after being brought back home through the efforts of the Bangladesh government.
Hedayetul Islam, also known as Manik Huzur, 65, a resident of Maheshpushkarani village in Mirzanagar Union of Parshuram upazila in Feni, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital at around 10am on Monday while undergoing treatment.
According to family members, Hedayetul travelled to Saudi Arabia on February 1, 2023, along with his wife and several others to perform Umrah.
After staying in Makkah for a few days, he suddenly fell ill in Madinah on February 12 and was later admitted to King Fahad Hospital in Madinah.
Following four to five months of treatment in the CCU and ICU, he was transferred to another hospital. He remained under treatment at different hospitals in Saudi Arabia for nearly three years and three months. Family members said he remained unconscious throughout most of that period.
The family had been trying for a long time to bring him back to Bangladesh. His second son, Al Shahadat Mohammad Hossain, later submitted an application to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, which took up the matter.
With the support of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Bangladesh Hajj Mission and the Saudi authorities, Hedayetul was finally brought back to Bangladesh on May 13 under a special arrangement.
After returning home, he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where he remained under treatment for more than a month before passing away.
His son Al Shahadat Mohammad Hossain said the family had hoped Hedayetul would recover after being brought home.
"We were able to bring our father back after more than three years. We hoped he would return to us in good health, but that was not Allah's will. We seek prayers for the forgiveness of his soul," he said.
The funeral prayers were scheduled to be held at around 9:30pm on Monday before his burial.