Burnt pregnant woman loses battle for life

Salma Begun, a pregnant woman who suffered serious injuries while cooking, has lost her battle for life at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).

Abject poverty compelled her family to abort her treatment at the hospital on February 13, however, after this newspaper ran a report on her sufferings, the affluent section of the society extended their helping hand.

On February 17, she was readmitted to DMCH where she breathed her last around 7:00pm on Friday, our Manikganj correspondent reports quoting the family of the deceased.

Salma Begum, wife of farmer Rubel Mia of Golapnagar village in Ghior upazila of Manikganj, caught fire during cooking with her earthen stove in the morning on February 7.

She was rushed to Ghior upazila Health Complex and later taken to Manikganj 250-bed Hospital. From there, she was shifted to the burn unit of DMCH on the same as her body was burnt down by 30 percent, Rubel said earlier.

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Burnt pregnant woman cries for help

“I spent around Tk 80 thousand in five days. Failing to bear the high treatment cost, we brought her home on Wednesday,” he said.

Echoing Rubel, Salma on February 14 told the correspondent, "My husband is a poor farmer and we have no rich relative. I could not continue treatment at hospital due to lack of money."

Salma, who was three months' pregnant, also had a miscarriage on February 17, seething her mentally as well, her family said.

Meanwhile, Salma's relatives claimed negligence in the treatment of Salma. However, denying the claim, National Coordinator at the Burn Institute of DMCH, Dr Samanta Lal Sen said Salma was administered proper treatment under the supervision of a medical board.

A pal of gloom descended on the area following her tragic death.