864 dead, 14,000 wounded in July uprising: Health Adviser

864 dead, 14,000 wounded in July uprising: Health Adviser

Health and Family Welfare adviser Nurjahan Begum today revealed that 864 people were killed and 14,000 others injured during the July mass uprising.
The adviser made this public at a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy here, where she provided details about the overall treatment of those injured in the July-August uprising last year.
“When we visited hospitals after taking charge, we found many patients without eyes, limbs, or hands. Our first step was to initiate the creation of a database. It was a difficult task to document how many had been martyred and how many were injured,” she said.
She said many individuals had used pseudonyms when admitted to hospitals, while some provided phone numbers that were not theirs, which made the process even more challenging.
“So far, 864 people have been confirmed as martyred, and over 14,000 have been injured,” said the adviser.
She, however, mentioned that some cases are still undergoing verification, and without verification, assistance cannot be provided.
Speaking about the support for the injured and the deceased, she said, “Our primary responsibility was to ensure treatment for the injured and provide something for the families of the deceased. Later, the Chief Adviser established the July Smriti Foundation, which has provided assistance since then.”
It was later decided that the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs would provide Taka 3 million to the families of each martyr. This process has already begun. Those who were injured will receive health cards and be entitled to free medical treatment for life.
Speaking about the treatment of the injured, Nurjahan Begum noted that during the movement, some injured individuals were denied treatment by hospital authorities.
The issue was eventually brought to the attention of the chief adviser for discussion, and the chief adviser replied that, if necessary, the injured should be sent abroad for treatment and a medical board should be formed.
Subsequently, expert committees were formed in each hospital. If a committee determined that a patient should receive better treatment abroad, arrangements were made to send them overseas. At the time, the Ministry of Health had no specific policy for such cases, which caused complications, she said.
Ultimately, it was decided that saving lives took precedence. After consulting the chief adviser the decision was made to send patients abroad. Some individuals were so critically injured that they had to be transported by air ambulance. In total, four people were sent this way.
She said there is no air ambulance service in the country, so they had to be brought it in from abroad. Initially, there were also issues with arranging payment, she added.
“When we assumed responsibility, the reserve of dollar was at a satisfactory level, which made Bangladesh Bank hesitant about how and where to source the required foreign currency,” she added.
The adviser said so far, 40 people have been sent abroad for treatment. Of them, 26 were sent to Bangkok, 13 to Singapore, and one to Russia, she said.
Around 26 of these individuals have already returned home, while the rest are still undergoing treatment, she said.
Additionally, a list of eight more patients has been prepared and sent to the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, and they too will be sent abroad for treatment, she added.
“We are working to send 21 patients to Turkey, while 31 to Pakistan,” said the health adviser.
Seeking greater support for the injured, she said that 700 individuals have lost their eyesight—among them, 21 have lost both eyes, and around 450 have lost one eye.
Highlighting the lack of the necessary facilities to adequately treat the mental trauma these patients are experiencing, she revealed that the Chinese government will gift Bangladesh a 1,000-bed hospital to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The hospital will be set up in Rangpur, fully funded by China as a gesture of goodwill on this occasion, she added.
Former Senior Secretary of the Health Services Division, Muhammad Humayun Kabir said the job to identify the injured and deceased was conducted by a district committee, led by the Deputy Commissioner, with the Civil Surgeon acting as member secretary.
Their close coordination aided the identification process, and some applications are still being submitted, which will be verified accordingly.
He acknowledged that the task was challenging, and while the possibility of errors cannot be excluded.
Every effort was made to ensure that only genuine victims were included and the primary goal remains to provide services to them, irrespective of their location, he added.
Director of the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital, Dr. Abul Khair, reported that while the institute typically sees 20 to 30 patients daily, during the movement, this number rose to 80-100 per day.
During August 2-5, around 700 patients, all with bullet injuries, sought treatment, he said, adding, the hospital provided as much medical care as possible to prevent eye damage.
He said the operation theater remained open day and night to minimize injuries to the eyes.
“As number of patient grew, surgeries were quickly arranged with support from Bangladesh Medical University and Islamia Hospital. Later, doctors from abroad were invited to review the treatment process. They found no deficiencies in the care provided by the institute,” he added.
Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, Health Services Division Secretary Md. Saidur Rahman, Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services Professor Dr. Md. Abu Zafar, Director of National Orthopaedic Hospital and Rehabilitation Institute (NITOR) Dr. Md. Abul Kenan, and Chief Advisers Senior Assistant Press Secretary Foyez Ahammad were present.