Help or kill them

A man in Meherpur has asked the district administration either to allow euthanising his ailing two sons and grandson or take responsibility for their treatment.

Tofazzel Hossain took the step as the three have been suffering from a rare disease, muscular dystrophy, for years and he cannot bear their medical expenses anymore.

55-year-old Tofazzel, who runs a grocery shop in Meherpur town, has already lost his everything in his desperate attempt to save his sons Sabur Hossain, 24, Raihanul Hossain, 13, and grandson Sourav Hossain, 8. Sourav is Tofazzel's daughter's son.

On Thursday, Tofazzel wrote to the deputy commissioner in the district, requesting him either to give permission to have the three euthanised or take the responsibility for their treatment.

Muscular dystrophies are a group of genetic conditions characterised by progressive muscle weakness and loss of muscle mass. The symptoms mainly begin in childhood. The victims, in most cases, lose the ability to walk. Some may have trouble breathing or swallowing.

There is no cure for muscular dystrophy, he wrote in the letter.

Sabur showed symptoms when he was just 11 and was a class-IV student. Raihanul had it when he was five. Sourav got it three years ago.

Tofazzel took Sabur to India for treatment but the physicians there told him the disease was not curable.

Some doctors at the National Institute of Homeopathy in India said the disease is partially treatable, he said.

Sabur is now fully paralysed while Raihanul and Sourav may face the same fate, Tofazzel wrote in the letter.

“I have lost many of my belongings for treating my elder son Sabur over the last 20 years,” he said, adding that he also took financial help from many for his children's treatment. “Now I can't do anything more.”

Such a stress rendered his wife Shirina Begum mentally imbalanced, he added.

Khairul Hasan, the acting DC of Meherpur, visited Tofazzel soon after receiving the letter to assure him of help.

Learning about the incident, many were contacting the Meherpur DC and expressing their desire to help Tofazzel, said Khairul.

They are also being given the government allowance for the disabled.

“Tofazzel does not want any cash, he just wants us to communicate with the higher authorities of the government about his problem so that they bear the medical expenses,“ the acting DC said, adding that he asked Tofazzel to open a bank account so that people could donate.

Raseda Sultana, civil surgeon in the district, said they would form a medical team for the treatment of the three patients.