A nursing student and trainee died after battling complications for five months following a Caesarean sectionon at Faridpur Medical College (FMC) Hospital on 8 October.
Bithi Akhtar was a nursing student at a college in Faridpur town and a trainee at FMC Hospital. She was married to Rakibul Islam, a resident of Jyotinbardipara village in Goalanda Upazila of Rajbari district.
Before her death, her husband, Rakibul Islam, reportedly accepted Tk55,000 from hospital authorities. According to a document circulated on social media, he agreed not to take legal action or seek further compensation from the hospital.
On 6 May, doctor Tamanna Akhtar and intern doctor Arabindu performed Bithi’s Caesarean section, during which she gave birth to a baby boy. Surgical gauze was allegedly left inside her abdomen before the incision was stitched up.
When she developed complications later and returned to the operating doctor, she was sent home with assurances that there was no serious problem.
Nearly one and a half months later, ultrasonogram tests at two private hospitals detected the gauze inside her abdomen. She was admitted to FMC Hospital on 12 July.
On 15 July, Surgery Department Associate Professors Fazlul Haque Shovon and Sanjoy Saha performed a second operation to remove the gauze. Its prolonged presence had caused her intestines to rot and a severe infection to develop.
A settlement was reached with her family that night, and Bithi was discharged on 22 July. The agreement, drawn up on a Tk100 non-judicial stamp, states that her family accepted Tk55,000 in financial assistance and agreed not to take legal action or make future financial claims against the hospital. The document bears Rakibul’s signature, while the signatures of hospital authorities and witnesses are blurred.
As the infection worsened, Bithi was readmitted to FMC Hospital, where she received treatment from 20 September to 4 October. Her condition became critical, and she was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital on 4 October. She died there at 8:30am on 8 October while undergoing treatment.
Confirming the settlement, Rakibul said his wife would have needed to complete her internship and continue her job at the medical college. He said he was facing a severe financial crisis and agreed to the settlement in the hope of saving her life and protecting her future.
He added that he had not expected such a tragic outcome. Although people were now blaming him, he wanted action against the operating doctor while avoiding legal complications.
Manas Krishna Kundu, deputy director and acting director of FMC Hospital, said he was unaware of any payment by hospital authorities but had heard about the settlement document circulating on social media.
He said a medical board had overseen Bithi’s treatment and decided to transfer her to Dhaka.
Manas added that a six-member committee, headed by Swapan Kumar Biswas, Head of the hospital’s Surgery Department, had been formed to investigate possible medical negligence. The committee has been asked to submit its report within 10 days, after which official action will be taken.
