Tala Elhendy Josephano, sister of Gulf Air pilot Mohannad Yousef Hassan Al Hindi, at a press conference on Monday claimed that her brother was murdered due to wrong treatment and negligence of a hospital in Dhaka.
The pilot, Mohannad Yousef Al Hindi, fell ill after arriving in Bangladesh and was admitted to the United Hospital on 14 December 2022, where he died.
In a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity, Tala Elhendy said when she came to Bangladesh and asked for the necessary documents from the hospital, the hospital authorities did not cooperate with her. She claimed that they provided her with fraudulent documents.
She demanded justice by taking proper action against United Hospital for killing Mohannad Yousef Hassan Al Hindi.
She also demanded the cancellation of the license of United Hospital.
She said Yousef was staying in Dhaka's Le Méridien hotel on 14 December 2022. He was scheduled to operate a Gulf Air flight early in the morning. He got up at 2:45am and got ready for the flight. Then he started the process of immigration at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 4:10am. Later, he fell and became unresponsive.
“My brother had his first cardiac arrest at the airport. He then received five minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Gradually his blood pressure started to deteriorate. He was then sent to United Hospital,” said Tala.
“My brother was drugged and put to sleep during the treatment process. Hospital authorities said he was treated by Dr Kaisar Nasir. However, our family could not find his name in the medical documents,” she said.
When asked about it, they said it was omitted by mistake. The cardiologist was consulted over the phone. He was not physically present with the patient, Tala added.
Stating that the CCTV footage and hospital documents have been tampered with, Tala said: “On January 26, 2023, I asked for medical records and CCTV footage from United Hospital. But they made fun of me and were very rude. When I threatened them with taking legal action and informing the embassy about it, they gave me detailed documents and CCTV footage. But they took three days to give these because they wanted to manipulate it.”
“I found out that the hospital authorities falsified documents to prove that a Coronary Angiogram (CAG) was done. That's why it took them three days to provide me with medical documents,” she added.
Tala furthermore said: “When I investigated, I found that there was no cardiologist in the Cardiac Care Unit (CCU), but my brother was kept for a long time there after admission. When I contacted doctors in the US to get expert advice on this, they said my brother should have been taken to the emergency room sooner. However, it took six hours at United Hospital.”
Tala Enhandy claimed Gulf Air was also negligent in her brother's treatment. “My brother became unconscious while he was boarding a Gulf Air flight. He was a pilot of this flight. It was the duty of Gulf Air authorities to ensure that he received proper treatment. They should have sent an official to the hospital to act as a guardian in the absence of his family. Also, they should have given my brother's past medical history to United Hospital. But they did not do any of these,” she said
“My brother was supposed to fly a flight with 500 passengers. Had he fallen ill during the flight, the lives of 500 passengers could have been at risk. However, Gulf Air did not seem to be concerned to ensure proper treatment to my brother,” she added.
At the end of the press conference, Tala made several demands.
She said: “I want the report and CCTV footage of my brother's hospitalization and treatment, without any tamper. As a sister of the patient, I have the right to know the treatment status of my brother. I seek exemplary fines or compensation to prevent the recurrence of such crimes. I want justice by taking appropriate actions against United Hospital and finally, I demand cancellation of their license.”
United Hospital's comment about allegation
However, talking with Dhaka Tribune the united hospital authority denied Captain Yousef sister's allegations.
Hospital spokesperson Md Naved told this reporter: “we provided better treatment following medical protocol.”
Regarding not providing a medical report, he said, "Tala Elhendy Josephano did not give her proper identity whether she was his sister or family members.”
But the Hospital authority did not give a proper explanation about starting treatment 6 hours late.
They called a meeting on Monday, with a doctor who was on duty during that treatment.
Hospital spokesperson also said there is an agreement for treatment between hospital and the hotel (Radisson).
Gulf air authority's comment
Talking with Dhaka Tribune, two officials of the Gulf air said that they took him to hospital under a flight officer after primary treatment at Dhaka airport on that day. As he was in the Radisson Hotel, as per the agreement with the hotel he was taken to the hospital.
However, they said “our officials were present in the hospital. We have always been in contact with all his family members since the beginning of his treatment in the hospital.”
According to gulf air, the pilot worked with the airlines for 30 years.
