Hadi flown to S’pore for advanced treatment
Staff Reporter :
Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha and an independent parliamentary aspirant for the Dhaka-8 constituency, was shifted to Singapore on Monday for advanced medical treatment as his condition remains critical following a daylight shooting in the capital.
An air ambulance carrying Hadi departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) for Singapore at 1:55pm, confirmed HSIA Executive Director Group Captain S M Ragib Samad.
The aircraft had earlier landed at the airport at around 11:20am to transport him abroad.
Before departure, an ICU ambulance carrying Hadi entered the airport through Gate No. 8 shortly after 1:00pm. The decision to send Hadi overseas was taken late Sunday night during an emergency virtual meeting held at the instruction of Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, according to the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing.
Over the past two days, the government had been in contact with several hospitals in Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia to explore options for specialised treatment.
Following consultations with the specialist team at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka and discussions with Hadi’s family members, the matter was placed before the chief adviser, the press wing said.
Hadi has been receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital since Friday afternoon, where doctors have described his condition as critical.
He was shot in Dhaka’s Paltan area on December 12. The attack took place around 2:25pm on Box Culvert Road, between DR Tower and Baitus Salam Jame Mosque, said Hussain Muhammad Farabi, assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
The shooting occurred a day after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the 13th national parliamentary election.
Speaking at a press briefing at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport after the air ambulance departed, Syedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser of the interim government, said that while Hadi sustained a gunshot injury to the head, other vital organs remain “controllable.”
“Except for the gunshot injury to the brain, his other organs – the kidneys, heart, and respiratory system – can so far be described as manageable,” Syedur Rahman said. “With medication and oxygen support, these functions are being kept under reasonable control.”
He added that the Bangladesh government and Singapore General Hospital were in teleconference contact prior to the transfer.
Singapore General Hospital authorities, in coordination with Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, jointly decided to move Hadi to Singapore for further treatment.
“We ask everyone to pray for him,” Syedur Rahman said. “If Allah shows mercy, then perhaps Hadi will be able to return with some level of recovery.”
Meanwhile, Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed on Monday said the government has no hesitation in allocating funds for the treatment of Sharif Osman Hadi, including sending him abroad if necessary.
Speaking to reporters after meetings of the Advisers Council Committee on Economic Affairs and the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase at the Secretariat, he said the government acted immediately after being informed of Hadi’s condition and the recommendation for specialised treatment overseas.
“When we were informed yesterday that he would need to be sent abroad, we made it clear that money would not be an issue,” he said, adding that all required expenses, including arrangements for an air ambulance, would be covered.
Dr Salehuddin said the Ministry of Finance is currently meeting the treatment costs from its own budget.