On July 18, Dr Fuad Kader, a graduate of Bangladesh Medical College Hospital’s 26th batch, was overseeing the emergency unit at City Hospital.
When Farhan Faiyaz (Farhanul Islam Bhuiyan) was rushed in, Dr Fuad Kader immediately attempted to provide treatment.
Reflecting on the day, Dr Fuad described it as “the most brutal day” he has ever witnessed in his career.
He said: “I’ve been on emergency duty for a long time, but nothing surpasses the brutality of that day.”
A Dhaka Tribune correspondent arrived at City Hospital that same day and witnessed Dr Fuad and his team attending to a large number of injured student protestors.
Dhanmondi’s Satmasjid Road had turned into a battleground, with the police relentlessly firing tear gas shells. The irritation from the tear gas could be felt even from a distance.
On July 18, Dr Fuad was working in the morning shift. He said: “Everything was normal until around 11am. Then, at 11:30am, the first patient arrived—a young girl in a school uniform, bleeding profusely. She had a large gash on the left side of her forehead, and her uniform was soaked in blood. While we were treating her, another female student arrived, severely injured by tear gas shells.”
Dr Fuad recalled that the hospital’s managing director called the emergency room with the instruction: “All protesting patients who come here will receive free treatment, and we’ll also try to provide them with food.
“As City Hospital is a private facility, we usually have to charge at least Tk500. But when he said that, we felt a sense of relief,” said Fuad, who joined City Hospital last year.
Soon, a flood of patients began to arrive, most of them injured by pellets. The doctors tried to remove the pellets whenever possible; otherwise, they focused on stopping the bleeding.
“I was managing them when another patient came in with a 5-inch cut on the back of his head. We were working on stitching him up,” Dr. Fuad recalled.
Death of Farhan
Around 2pm, a loud commotion erupted. People were shouting: “Move! A serious patient is coming.”
The patient was Farhan Faiyaz, although Dr Fuad didn’t know it at the time.
“I cleared a bed, and Farhan was brought in. I instructed a nurse to start a cannula (a thin tube inserted into a vein or body cavity to administer medication) and begin the necessary procedures. We gave him oxygen, and when wanting to know where he was injured, I removed his clothes and saw a round wound,” he said.
Dr Fuad immediately recognized the wound as being caused by a live bullet. The bullet had pierced through Farhan’s heart. “I checked his pupils—they were dilated, a clear sign of imminent death. We rushed him to the ICU, and the doctors there did everything they could, but with a wound like that, there was little time.”
Farhan had lost a significant amount of blood in the time it took to transport him from Dhanmondi 27 to City Hospital in Mohammadpur.
Rush of patients
Dr Fuad also treated a 10-year-old boy with 12 pellets embedded all over his body. Since City Hospital lacked specialized pediatric care, the boy was referred to Al Manar Hospital, which focuses on women and children.
Another student arrived with a pellet lodged in his eye, unable to see. As City Hospital is not an eye care facility, he was sent by ambulance to Al-Noor Hospital via Lalmatia roads. “The main road was impassable due to a police presence. I still have no updates on him,” Dr. Fuad mentioned.
That day, the emergency room received around 150-200 patients. After initial evaluations, some were treated on-site, while others were sent to the hospital’s two operating theaters for general surgery and burn treatment. One student, shot by a rubber bullet, was sent to the ICU.
Dr Fuad explained that during the chaos, police from Mohammadpur station continued firing outside the hospital.
“I was in the emergency room treating five to seven patients when the students told me the police were threatening them. I said, ‘Let me handle this. I’m in charge here. If the police want to come in, they’ll have to go through me.’”
He went to the hospital gate and saw the police standing outside, but as they didn’t enter, he chose not to confront them. The hospital was able to manage the situation.
“We received immense support from other doctors, especially from the gynaecology department,” he said. “Additionally, a female doctor from Holy Family Hospital, who doesn’t even work here, came to help us.”
Threats from Chhatra League
Dr Fuad stayed on for the night shift. Some doctors who tried to return home were attacked by Chhatra League members near Allah Karim Mosque at Mohammadpur Bus Stand, likely because the hospital had treated the injured protesters. The ambulance they were in had to turn back to the hospital.
The following day, a leader of the Chhatra League from the Graphics Arts College visited the hospital, asking which doctor had treated the students. The senior doctors claimed responsibility, offering their names if needed, and the leader left without further incident.
Dr Fuad experienced tragedy in his own life as well. His father, Abdul Kader, was shot in broad daylight in 1998 by Mach Kader, who was elected a councillor of the Chittagong City Corporation in 2015.
After his harrowing experience in the emergency room on July 18, Dr. Fuad joined the street protests, participating in the Shaheed Minar protest on August 4 and the Long March on August 5.