The health ministry is planning to send another 52 July Uprising injured for medical treatment abroad - 31 of them to Pakistan.
Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum shared this information at a press conference held this Sunday afternoon at the Foreign Service Academy here.
She also stated that 21 injured individuals will be sent to Turkey for better treatment.
She also informed that the government already sent 26 July injured to Bangkok, 16 to Singapore, and one to Russia. The government spent TK 6 crore for one patient and TK 3.5 crore for another.
The press conference was organized mainly to inform the public about the steps taken by the interim government and the Ministry of Health regarding the treatment of those injured in the July mass uprising.
The adviser said that so far a list of 864 July-August martyrs has been compiled while the list of injured includes over 14,000 people. But these numbers are still subject to change. The verification of actual deaths and injuries is ongoing, she said.
She said 21 individuals lost both eye sights, and 450 lost sight in one eye. In order to save lives, doctors had to amputate the legs of 17 individuals and the arms of four, she said.
Govt reassures treatment of July injured
In response to journalists questioning why the injured are being sent to Pakistan for advanced treatment so long after the incident and whether Pakistan has advanced medical facilities, Nurjahan replied that Pakistan is a war-torn country and has expertise in treating such injuries. Special hospitals in Lahore are equipped to treat patients of this nature.
Director General of the Health Directorate, Abu Jafar added that some people are concerned about the future of the injured once the interim government leaves power.
"To ensure they do not face difficulties in receiving treatment or other benefits in the future, initiatives like collecting accurate data and issuing health cards have been taken," he said.
He mentioned that the land for a1,000-bed hospital to be built by the Chinese government has been finalised near the Teesta Project area.
Chief adviser's press secretary Shafiqul Alam among others was present at the briefing.