Doctors have advised a photojournalist, whose right eye was seriously injured by a shotgun pellet fired by police on Saturday, to go abroad for better treatment as soon as possible as hope of saving his sight is fading.
Mosharraf Hossain, 25, who works for Focus Bangla, a photo-news agency, was hit in the eye when he was taking pictures of police action against picketers who blasted crude bombs in the capital’s Bangshal area on the eve of the opposition’s 84-hour hartal.
He was admitted to the National Institute of Eye Science and Hospital, where he was given primary treatment and underwent a minor operation.
Doctors said they were unable to remove the pellet from his eye, but hoped that Mosharraf would regain his eyesight after some specialised surgery, which can be done abroad.
But the operation has to be done in the shortest possible time to be successful, they added.
The hospital released him on Wednesday, but his relatives were yet to manage the money needed for his treatment abroad.
His uncle, Ataur Rahman, told the Dhaka Tribune that Mosharraf’s doctor, Golam Mostafa, had suggested taking the patient to Shankar Netralaya Eye Hospital in Chennai, India.
“The doctor said his eye should be operated on as soon as possible, and the whole process will need more than Tk200,000. At such short notice, it is almost impossible to arrange the amount,” Rahman said.
He pointed out that Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu and State Minister for LGRD Jahangir Kabir Nanok had assured them of financial help for better treatment when they visited Mosharraf in hospital after the incident.
However, they are yet to receive any assistance as promised.
“We hope, the problem over money will be overcome soon. But time is short,” the uncle said.