Treatment
Sick dolphin calf improves with tube-fed milk, helping hands
The Irrawaddy dolphin calf — sick and too weak to swim — was drowning in a tidal pool on Thailand’s shore when fishermen found him.
The fishermen quickly alerted marine conservationists, who advised them how to provide emergency care until a rescue team could transport the baby to Thailand’s Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Center for veterinary attention.
The baby was nicknamed Paradon, roughly translated as “brotherly burden,” because those involved knew from day one that saving his life would be no easy task.
Irrawaddy dolphins, considered a vulnerable species by International Union for Conservation of Nature, are found in the shallow coastal waters of South and Southeast Asia and in three rivers in Myanmar, Cambodia and Indonesia. Their survival is threatened by habitat loss, pollution and illegal fishing.
Officials from the marine research center believe around 400 Irrawaddy dolphins remain along the country’s eastern coast, bordering Cambodia.
Since Paradon was found by the fishermen July 22, dozens of veterinarians and volunteers have helped care for him at the center in Rayong on the Gulf of Thailand.
“We said among ourselves that the chance of him surviving was quite low, judging from his condition,” Thanaphan Chomchuen, a veterinarian at the center, said Friday. “Normally, dolphins found stranded on the shore are usually in such a terrible condition. The chances that these dolphins would survive are normally very, very slim. But we gave him our best try on that day.”
Workers placed him in a seawater pool, treated the lung infection that made him so sick and weak, and enlisted volunteers to watch him round the clock. They have to hold him up in his tank to prevent him from drowning and feed him milk, initially done by tube, and later by bottle when he had recovered a bit of strength.
A staff veterinarian and one or two volunteers stay for each eight-hour shift, and other workers during the day handle the water pump and filter and making milk for the calf.
After a month, Paradon’s condition is improving. The calf believed to be between 4 and 6 months old can swim now and has no signs of infection. But the dolphin that was 138 centimeters long (4.5 feet) and around 27 kilograms (59 pounds) on July 22 is still weak and doesn’t take enough milk despite the team’s efforts to feed him every 20 minutes
Thippunyar Thipjuntar, a 32-year-old financial adviser, is one of the many volunteers who come for a babysitting shift with Paradon.
Thippunya said with Paradon’s round baby face and curved mouth that looks like a smile, she couldn’t help but grow attached to him and be concerned about his development.
“He does not eat enough but rather just wants to play. I am worried that he does not receive enough nutrition,” she told The Associated Press on Friday as she fed the sleepy Paradon, cradled in her arm. “When you invest your time, physical effort, mental attention, and money to come here to be a volunteer, of course you wish that he would grow strong and survive.”
Read: Govt finalizes the "Dolphin Conservation Action Plan"
Sumana Kajonwattanakul, director of the marine center, said Paradon will need long-term care, perhaps as much as a year, until he is weaned from milk and is able to hunt for his own food.
“If we just release him when he gets better, the problem is that he he won’t be able to have milk. We will have to take care of him until he has his teeth, then we must train him to eat fish, and be part of a pod. This will take quite some time,” Sumana said.
Paradon’s caregivers believe the extended tender loving care is worth it.
“If we can save one dolphin, this will help our knowledge, as there have not been many successful cases in treating this type of animal,” said veterinarian Thanaphan. “If we can save him and he survives, we will have learned so much from this.”
“Secondly, I think by saving him, giving him a chance to live, we also raise awareness about the conservation of this species of animal, which are rare, with not many left.”
Treatment of 2 Tangail siblings starts on PM’s order
The medical treatment of ailing Pintu and his sister Nasreen, inhabitants of Mirzapur Upazila of Tangail, has started on the order of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The two siblings were admitted to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in the capital on Thursday morning. But their poor parents could not afford their treatment costs.
At the premier’s directives, chief coordinator of the institute Dr Samanta Lal Sen and Director General of Directorate General of Health Services Abul Bashar Mohammed Khurshid Alam took measures for the treatment of the two children, said PM’s assistant press secretary MM Emrul Kayas told UNB.
They are now undergoing treatment under the supervision of Prof Dr Tanveer Ahmed, the head of the Plastic Surgery Department at the institute.
Read: PM mourns novelist Rabeya Khatun’s death
The prime minister’s good gesture came after a national daily published a report about the helpless siblings.
Pintu is receiving treatment at the Male Ward (No-801), while Nasreen at Female Ward (No-901).
After their admission, they went through several diagnosis tests. After receiving the test reports, a medical board will be formed in the next few days for their final treatment.
The Prime Minister is constantly enquiring about their treatments and wellbeing.
Khaleda returns home after health check-ups
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia returned home on Monday evening after going to Evercare Hospital in the capital for health check-ups.
She reached the hospital from her Gulshan residence around 4:45pm and underwent some medical tests as per the advice of her medical board.
The BNP chief left the hospital around 7:10pm and reached her residence at 7:55pm.
Khaleda, a 77-year-old former prime minister, has been suffering from various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, kidney, lung, heart and eye problems.
Read: Khaleda hospitalised with heart problems
On June 10, the BNP chief suffered a heart attack due to a 95 percent block in her left artery and a stent was placed there by removing the blockage at the same hospital the following day.
Doctors also found two more blocks in her blood vessels, but they could not remove those due to her health complications.
Khaleda was sent to the Old Dhaka Central Jail as a lower court sentenced her to five years' imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case on February 8, 2018. Later, she was found guilty in another corruption case the same year.
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the government temporarily freed Khaleda Zia from jail through an executive order suspending her sentence on March 25, 2020, with conditions that she would stay at her Gulshan house and would not leave the country.
Khaleda shifted to cabin from CCU
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who is undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in the city, was shifted to a cabin from the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) on Wednesday.
“Madam (Khaleda) was taken to a cabin from the CCU in the afternoon,” Khaleda’s personal physician Prof AZM Zahid Hossain told UNB.
He said Prof Shahabuddin Talukder, head of the medical board formed at the hospital for her treatment, along with a team of cardiologists visited the BNP chief at the CCU.“They then decided that the next follow-up treatment would be given keeping her (Khaleda) at the cabin.”
Zahid said all the facilities of the CCU of the hospital have been installed in the cabin where the BNP chief was shifted.
He said doctors will keep her under their close observation at the cabin and ensure her proper treatment. “The medical board will take decision on the next course of her treatment based on her condition”.
Earlier on Monday, Zahid said the medical board decided to keep Khaleda Zia under close observation for some more days.
He also said three blockages were found in the arteries of the BNP chairperson through a coronary angiogram test conducted on Saturday.
Zahid, also a BNP vice chairman, said Khaleda suffered a heart attack due to 95 percent blockage in her left artery. “A stent has been placed there by removing the blockage.”
Read: Khaleda Zia shifted to CCU
About two other blockages, Zahid said doctors will take proper measures in this regard after observing her condition as she has chronic kidney and liver problems.
Earlier, Khaleda was admitted to Evercare Hospital in the early hours of Saturday as she suddenly fell ill. A ring (stent) was placed in the main artery of her heart on Saturday afternoon.
Khaleda, a 76-year-old former prime minister, has long been suffering from various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, kidney, lung and eye problems.
Send Khaleda abroad for treatment to evade public wrath: BNP to govt
Renewing their party’s demand for allowing ailing Khaleda Zia to go abroad for advanced treatment, BNP on Sunday warned that people won’t forgive the government if anything bad happens to her for lack of treatment.
"We would like to make a final call for releasing Begum Khaleda Zia immediately and sending her abroad for advanced treatment. Otherwise, you must shoulder all the responsibilities...,” BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said.
Also read: Khaleda has two more blockages in heart, kept under 72-hrs observation
Speaking at a rally, the BNP leader also said the government has to take the responsibility for ensuring Khaleda’s advanced treatment abroad.
“Or else, if anything bad happens to her, the country’s people won’t pardon you. They’ll drag you down from power,” he warned.
BNP’s Dhaka north and south units arranged the rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club demanding prompt steps for ensuring advanced treatment of Khaleda Zia abroad.
Several thousand leaders and activists of BNP from different wards of the capital joined the rally with banners and festoons.
Fakhrul said the government has long been obstructing Khaleda from going abroad for treatment though convicted ruling party leaders are availing of the same scope.
“Salim Uddin and Kalim Uddin all can go abroad for treatment. The convicted people also can go abroad for treatment. Some people can go there by air ambulance. Then why she (Khaleda) is not allowed to be treated abroad? ” he questioned.
The BNP leader also said the Awami League government is not releasing Khaleda and allowing her to go abroad as it is afraid of her popularity.
Mirza Abbas leaves for Singapore for treatment
Senior BNP leader Mirza Abbas left for Singapore on Tuesday morning for "advanced treatment of a stomach problem".
The BNP standing committee member, along with his wife and two sons, left for Singapore on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8.30am, his physician Dr Rafiqul Islam said.
"Mirza Abbas was undergoing treatment at Bangladesh Specialized Hospital. He was taken to Singapore for advanced treatment as his condition was not improving,” he said.
Also read: BNP leader Mirza Abbas hopitalised with abdominal pain
Dr Rafiqul, also the health affairs secretary of the country's main opposition party, said that Abbas will be admitted to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.
On behalf of the BNP politician's family members, Rafiqul urged the country’s people to pray for the speedy recovery of Abbas.
Earlier, on May 17, Abbas, also a former mayor of undivided Dhaka city and an ex-minister in Khaleda Zia's last cabinet, was admitted to the Bangladesh Specialized Hospital in the capital’s Shyamoli area with abdominal pain.
Also read: Mirza Abbas warns opposition parties against joining national polls under AL govt
Treatment for burn patients to be taken to upazilas: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said her government is planning to introduce primary treatment services for burn patients at the upazilas for the benefits of rural people.
"We want to take this service for burn patients to the upazila-level so that the rural people can avail quick primary treatment there," she said.
Also read: Be ready to fight if enemy attacks peace-loving Bangladesh, PM urges armed forces
The prime minister said this while inaugurating the 6th international conference titled ‘PlastiCon 2022’ of Society of Plastic Surgeons of Bangladesh (SPSB) at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery (SHNIBPS) through an online platform from her official residence Ganobhaban here.
She said the government is considering launching the treatment services at the upazila hospitals.
Hasina stressed the need for public awareness campaign over the use of flammable substances and the first aid in case of burn injury.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque, former SPSB president and also Chief Coordinator of all burn projects Dr Samanta Lal Sen and SPSB Secretary General (in-charge) Dr Md Hedayet Ali Khan also spoke at the function presided over by SPSB president and SHNIBPS Director Dr Abdul Kalam.
The prime minister also opened Mujib Corner and Bangabandhu gallery set up in the Institute on the occasion of the Mujib Year.
Twin who survived refusal of treatment at a hospital returns home
The twin who survived after being forced to leave a private hospital returned home from Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Monday after recovering.
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) made the necessary arrangements for the child’s treatment at DMCH and provided its family with financial support, said Major Zulkair Naen of RAB-3.
He said, the incident was extremely inhumane that the twins were not given treatment, rather forced to leave the hospital because their parents couldn’t bear the expenses, and one of them even died. The surviving twin was then treated in DMCH on the instructions of RAB officials.
READ: Conjoined twins die hours after birth in Jashore
He also warned hospital authorities that if any patient is forced to leave hospital without proper treatment action would be taken against them.
On January 7, twins- Abdullah and Ahmedullah were taken to Amader Bangladesh Hospital in city's Shyamoli as they became sick. Their parents couldn’t manage to pay the hospital bill so they were forced to leave the hospital. One of the twins, Ahmedullah died on the way to the DMCH.
READ: Conjoined twins die 3 hrs after birth in Faridpur
After various media covered the incident the owner of the hospital Golam Sarwar was arrested by RAB.
Khaleda’s treatment: Now BNP to hold rallies in 40 more districts
BNP has now planned to hold rallies in its 40 more organisational districts from January 8 in the second phase to force the government to allow its chairperson Khaleda Zia to go abroad for advanced medical treatment.
The party announced the programmes on Wednesday in a press release signed by its senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
As per the programme schedule, the party will hold the rallies in six days--January 8, 12, 15, 17, 22 and 24-- to mount pressure on the government to allow Khaleda Zia to go abroad for treatment.
READ: All in govt to face ‘murder charge’ if anything happens to Khaleda: BNP
The party will formally inaugurate the second-phase programme through a rally in Brahmanbaria on January 8.
The other districts include Rajshahi, Chandpur, Rangpur, Barishal south, Khulna, Chattogram south, Sylhet, Nilphamari, Feni, Naogaon, Kushtia, Barguna, Sherpur, Bagerhat, Rangamati, Netrokona, Chapainawabganj, Rajbari, Narail, Pirojpur, Chuadanga, Kurigram, Narayanganj, Cumilla, Satkhira, Mymensingh, Natore, Barishal north, Chattogram north, Saidpur, Shariatpur, Mymensingh north, Jhalokathi, Magura, Madaripur, Bandarban, Moulivibazar and Panchagarh.
BNP senior leaders, including standing committee members, vice-chairmen and party chairperson’s advisory council members will address the rallies.
Earlier in the first phase, the party held rallies in 32 districts from December 22 to 30 to press for the same demand.
Earlier, BNP observed human chains, mass-hunger strikes, rallies and submission of memorandums to DC offices across the country seeking Khaleda’s treatment abroad.
Khaleda, a 76-year-old former prime minister, has been receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital for various health complications since November 13.
Her medical board members said Khaleda immediately needs to go abroad for better treatment as she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis.
READ: No legal scope to send Khaleda abroad: Home Minister
On behalf of her family, Khaleda's younger brother, Shamim Iskander, submitted an application to the Home Ministry on November 11 seeking permission to send her abroad for better treatment.
The government still did not dispose of the application while the ministers are saying the BNP chief has no scope to go abroad until she files a fresh application returning to jail.
Khaleda’s treatment abroad: HC likely to hear petition Wednesday
The High Court is likely to hear the writ petition filed on Monday seeking its directive on the government to let BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia go abroad for treatment.
The HC bench of Justice Mamnoon Rahman and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman may hear the petition as it has been kept on the cause-list of the court, said Supreme Court Lawyer Advocate Eunus Ali Akond.
Read: Khaleda going through a tough time in hospital: BNP
On Monday, Advocate Eunus Ali Akond filed a writ petition with the High Court seeking its directive on the government to allow Khaleda Zia to go abroad for treatment.
The writ petition sought the court’s directive to allow Khaleda Zia to go abroad for treatment as per article 11, 32 and 49 of the Constitution, Code of Criminal Procedures (CrPC) and the International Human Rights Charter declared by the United Nations.
Cabinet Secretary, Secretary to the President's Office, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Home and Law Secretaries were named as respondents in the writ petition.
Earlier on December 5, Law Minister Anisul Huq said the government is assessing whether there is any legal option to allow BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia to go abroad for medical treatment.
“As there haven many applications, including from lawyers, I think it is appropriate to come to a well-thought-out decision after examining all aspects and whether any scope to do something in any way,” he added.
Khaleda, a 76-year-old former prime minister, has been receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital for various health complications since November 13.
The BNP chief’s medical board members on November 28 said she immediately needs to go abroad for better treatment as she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis.
On behalf of her family, Khaleda's younger brother, Shamim Iskander, submitted an application to the Home Ministry on November 11 seeking permission to take her abroad for treatment.
Read: Writ seeks HC directive for Khaleda’s treatment abroad
Though the government earlier twice turned down such applications, it is taking time to dispose of the fresh plea of the BNP chief’s family.
On November 28, the Law Minister told parliament that Khaleda is now free as she is not in government custody.
He also said as Khaleda was temporarily released under section 401 of the Criminal Code of Procedure based on some conditions, including not leaving the country, there is no provision in the law to allow her to go abroad now until she submits a fresh petition after returning to jail.
BNP leaders and pro-BNP lawyers, however, have long been arguing that the government has the unlimited authority to take any decision in this regard under section 401 of the Criminal Code of Procedures.