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DU student's date with destiny

Injured in field trip, denied medical help, faces disability

Naimul Haq
Md Motiur Rahman, 23, a student of Dhaka University’s Institute of Nutrition and Food Science (INFS), is facing disability as the leg injuries he sustained in a road accident during a university field trip two and a half years ago have been left virtually untreated due to negligence of doctors and DU authorities.
On June 30, 2001, Motiur was invited to join a field trip by Assistant Professor Abdus Zaher, house tutor of Shahidullah Hall and also a teacher of INFS. Motiur replaced another student who was dropped from the survey team for some reason, but the authorities did not officially sign him in on board for the project. Also, his parents were not officially informed about the trip.
Two days later, Motiur was travelling from Dinajpur to Rangpur as part of a five-member INFS team to conduct studies on arsenic contamination in food chain.
On the way, the team met a fatal accident at around 9:00pm when their microbus collided head on with a goods truck killing two.
Dr Shibtosh Roy and Dr Dalim died on the spot while Motiur and two others survived miraculously.
The impact of the accident left Motiur trapped unconscious inside the mangled microbus. The front of the vehicle had to be cut open to rescue him.
Apart from the trauma, Motiur suffered severe fractures including damage to the left femur and right fibula ofboth his legs.
Bleeding profusely, he was taken to Rangpur Medical College Hospital where he was left practically untreated.
The following day, the two other survivors including Dr Zaher, who also sustained some injuries, returned to Dhaka but Motiur was left behind in the hospital.
Motiur's condition deteriorated the next day and he was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital or the National Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (Nitor). But he was taken to Dhaka Community Hospital (DCH) instead at project supervisor Dr Zaher's recommendations and following his assurances to Motiur's family that all-out help would be provided for this treatment.
Motiur spent three months at the DCH. But the only treatment he received was a skin graft on his left ankle because project authorities refused to foot his medical bills
despite earlierassurances.
Although Dr Salamat Ullah, director of INFS, collected funds for Motiur's treatment, the money was not enough to pay for the cabin rent at the DCH. Financial insolvency of Motiur's family prevented them from paying for his proper medical treatment.
On October 22, 2001, Motiurwas shifted to Nitor for further treatment under Dr RR Kairy. But the condition of his leg deteriorated after a faulty 'experimental' operation.
Without the consent of the patient, Dr Kairy 'experimented' by implanting a 12-inch metal rod in Motiur's left thigh that eventually caused further bone fracture.
Within three days of the operation, Motiur's thigh developed serious infection and he began to suffer acute pain. Dr Kairy then sent for several costly medical tests. The patient was also injected with several antibiotics. But his infection did not go.
After three months, Dr Kairy informed Motiur that his limb might have to be amputated. But Motiur decided to consult Dr Saleh Talukder. During the course of one and a half years of treatment, Dr Talukdar conducted four operations in his thigh and knee, removing pus and other infected tissues.
Asked why the poor student was not getting any assistance from the project, Dr Zaher said, "None of us, including myself, got any help from the project as there was no insurance coverage for it. Besides, we had no idea a claim for reparations for accident would ever be made. I have no clear idea of the total budget of the project either."
He, however, agreed that Motiur should get all sorts of assistance from the project whether or not there was any formal agreement.