Families of deceased Khondakar Ashraf Hossain, a Bengali poet and Professor of English Literature, who died on Sunday at LabAid Hospital in Dhaka, alleged ‘negligence’ by the hospital.
His doctor, however, said they tried their best, “but could not save him from the massive heart attack the Professor had suffered due to severe pneumonia”.
Her younger daughter Shantan Shehrzade said she ‘cannot accept’ the death.
“He died due to their (LabAid doctors) negligence,” Shehrzade, a Chemistry teacher at Dhaka College complained before bdnews24.com.
His brother-in-law Liton Wares also raised similar allegations.
Khondakar Ashraf who has been the Vice Chancellor of Kazi Nazrul Islam University in Trishal died at the age of 63.
“He was rushed to the hospital with gastronomic pain on Friday. He was feeling well after being administered injections,” his daughter Shehrzade said.
“But in the morning he complained of breathlessness and almost lost consciousness. He regained sense but was coughing constantly.
“But there was no doctor to attend him. A doctor arrived at around 10pm at night. But when we told him that his (her father’s) condition is not good, we were reprimanded by the doctor”.
“My father wanted to be shifted from this hospital to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital. But they did not discharge him and instead referred him to a cardiologist. But we did not see any cardiologist till morning,” she said.
“In the meantime his breathlessness continued,” Shehrzade said. In the morning he suffered the heart attack.
“Then they (doctors) put him in the intensive care unit. But it was already late,” she said and that the doctors swung into action and formed medical board only when they found he suffered the heart attack.
Professor of medicine Monzur Rahman who coordinated the late professor’s treatment told bdnews24.com that they had put all their efforts.
“He came to us with abdominal pain. But when we X-rayed him we found severe pneumonia and hence we were treating that condition.
“We did not find any problem in his heart,” he said.
He said he advised him to see a cardiologist on Saturday night. “But it was not urgent. I told them if possible consult one cardiologist.”
“Even I talked with the Professor (Khondakar Ashraf) on Saturday night,” he said.
Prof Rahman said he suffered the attack ‘suddenly’. “We cannot predict a heart attack. He underwent a stent surgery in 2000,” he said.
“His (heart) attack was massive. Our ICU team and three cardiologists tried but he went into the shock and could not recover.”
“Naturally family will complain after the demise of their dear and near one. But there was no negligence on our part,” he said.
Ashraf Hossain was born on Jan 4, 1950, in Jamalpur.
He obtained MA degree from Dhaka University in English Literature.
He also had a degree from Leeds University before PhD from Dhaka University.
A familiar name in English literature, Ashraf Hossain authored 18 books.
He was also a translation expert.
Source: bdnews24
