Father's desperate search for HFNC ends in tragedy as measles-infected infant dies at Ctg hospital

Mohammad Alam, a resident of Cox's Bazar, spent hours outside the paediatric ICU of Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) this afternoon (18 May) trying to arrange a High-Flow Nasal Cannula (HFNC) circuit for his daughter.

He had already contacted a supplier and was told the required equipment would arrive within half an hour, but before it reached the ICU, he received a phone call informing him that his 9-month-old daughter Suraiya had died.

At the time he received the news, Alam was still holding a slip containing the name of the HFNC circuit.

Only minutes earlier, he had requested over the phone that the equipment be delivered quickly.

The HFNC circuit, priced at around Tk11,500, was no longer needed.

Suraiya's mother, Chhenowara Begum, broke down in tears after coming out of the ICU.

Alam is a photographer by profession, who used to earn his livelihood by taking photographs of tourists at Cox's Bazar sea beach.

To bear the cost of his daughter's treatment after she was infected with measles, he had even sold his camera, his only source of income.

The child had been admitted to CMCH since Thursday night (14 May).

Later in the afternoon, family members left for Cox's Bazar with Suraiya's body as Mohammad Alam stood beside his daughter amid the cries of relatives.

According to the family, doctors advised the use of a HFNC after Suraiya developed severe breathing complications.

As the equipment was not easily available in the market, the child's father searched throughout the hospital for the HFNC circuit. Through several nurses, he managed to obtain the contact number of a supplier and requested urgent delivery. However, the child died before the equipment arrived.

Speaking to TBS, Alam said, "I did everything to save my daughter. I even sold my camera, the only means of my livelihood, to bear the treatment costs. How can such a large hospital not have an oxygen pipe? If they did not have it, they could have informed us earlier."

After his daughter's death, Alam questioned whether the ICU had adequate essential equipment and why the shortage had not been disclosed earlier.

Doctors said the required equipment was an HFNC circuit for the "Fisher & Paykel" machine, which supplies warm and humidified high-flow oxygen through the nose and is important in treating patients suffering from pneumonia or severe respiratory complications.

Hospital sources said most beds in the 20-bed paediatric ICU are occupied by children suffering from measles and related complications, while some high-flow machines used in the ICU were also faulty.

According to them, many ICU devices were received through donations, and replacing damaged parts quickly is not always possible.

On condition of anonymity, a physician from the paediatric department said the child was initially given a high-flow machine, but it developed technical problems. Another alternative machine also malfunctioned later, after which family members were asked to collect the circuit from outside the hospital.

CMCH Director Brigadier General Mohammad Taslim Uddin told TBS, "Some beds in the hospital's paediatric ICU are government-supported, while others are operated through donations. There are 41 high-flow machines across the hospital."

He assured that the matter would be investigated.

Doctors said Suraiya was diagnosed with measles and later developed inflammation in the brain, known as "measles encephalitis".

As a complication of measles, the condition can lead to seizures, unconsciousness, high fever and neurological complications, especially among children.

The Department of Paediatrics at CMCH said four children suffering from measles and measles-related pneumonia died between Sunday night and Monday afternoon.

Earlier, seven more children with similar symptoms died between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile, according to data from the district Civil Surgeon's Office, 43 new patients with measles symptoms were admitted to different government and private hospitals in Chattogram in the last 24 hours.

Most of them are currently undergoing treatment at hospitals in the city.

So far, one confirmed measles death and eight more deaths with measles-like symptoms have been reported in the district.