Food ministry additional secy dies of Covid-19

A senior public servant has died from the coronavirus infection.

Gautam Aich Sarker, additional secretary to the food ministry, died on Saturday while being treated at the Kurmitola General Hospital in Dhaka.

“His samples were tested, which came back as Covid-19 positive,” Jamil Ahmed, the director of the hospital, said.

Sarker’s family alleges that he was denied treatment when rushed to several hospitals in Dhaka on Thursday with kidney-related complications.

The Labaid Hospital and Dhaka Medical College Hospital were among those who refused to admit Sarker, who according to the family needed critical care. 

“He was suffering from kidney-related problems and was taking dialysis from Labaid Hospital for the last one year, but the hospital refused to admit him,” Secretary Mosammat Nazmanara Khanum of the food ministry said quoting the family.

A Labaid Hospital spokesman said Sarker was denied treatment as he was brought in with high fever, one of the symptoms of Covid-19.

“He was one of our regular patient seeking dialysis service but he was brought in with high fever and some other Covid-19 like symptoms,” Public Relations Officer Chowdhury Meher-E-Khuda Dip said.

Later on Thursday, Sarker’s family managed him to get admitted to the Kurmitola General Hospital.

“We were in touch with the family since Friday morning. We asked doctors at Kurmitola hospital to conduct a dialysis and the authorities confirmed they will do as the facilities were available there,” Secretary Khanum said.

According to her, Sarker’s condition deteriorated on Friday night, when the doctors wanted to move him to the ICU, but the family declined due to fears of Covid-19 transmission.