A mother and son have died from snake bites as no anti-venom injections were available in Sirajganj.
The incident occurred in Tarash upazila around 1am on Wednesday.
The deceased are nine months’ pregnant Rabeya Sultana, 25, and her son Siam Hossain, 4, from Malshin village of Madhainagar union under the upazila.
The mother and son were taken to Tarash Upazila Health Complex Hospital, where they did not receive adequate treatment because the hospital lacked anti-venom injections.
Both of them died on the way to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital (SZMCH)—to where they had been referred.
Rabeya and Siam were sleeping on the floor when they were bitten by a poisonous snake. The villagers heard their screams, around midnight, and took them to the hospital.
Tarash Health Complex Emergency Department doctor Asif Mahmud told the Dhaka Tribune, the mother and son were brought to the hospital around 1am. As there were no anti-venom injections available they were referred to Bogra SZMCH.
He said they probably could have been saved if the anti-venom had been available.
Madhainagar Union Parishad Chairman Abu Hasan Mirza told the local media workers that the mother and son could have lived if they had received proper treatment.
Tarash Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Ahia Kamal said: "I am still not aware of the matter as I came to Rajshahi for work. However, anti-venom injections are never provided in upazila level hospitals."Civil Surgeon Dr Kazi Md Shamim Hossain said patients with snake bites cannot always be saved, even if they are injected with anti-venom, if the poison has spread throughout the body.
He said the victims should have immediately been taken to the district sadar hospital as anti-venom was not available in Tarash.
He added he would look into the matter as he was not aware of it.
