A government employee named Nupur Karmakar, 32, has died in Chatkhil upazila of Noakhali, allegedly for want of snakebite vaccine (antivenom). A venomous snake bit him at his home in Harikrishnapur village at around 11pm on Tuesday 5 September.

Nupur Karmakar was the son of Kuntal Krishna Karmakar of the village. He worked as an office assistant-cum-computer operator in the office of the Sonaimuri upazila nirbahi officer.

Family members said there was no electricity that night and he was bitten while walking by the door of the house. He was taken at once to the upazila health complex, which said it had no vaccine and sent him to the 250-bed Noakhali General Hospital for better treatment.

His cousin Samir Karmakar told Jago News that the 250-bed General Hospital also said it had no snakebite vaccine and could not give adequate treatment, and near the end of the night Nupur was sent to Cumilla Medical College. A doctor there declared him dead.

His mother, Rupashi Rani Karmakar, is distraught at losing her beloved youngest son and keeps fainting, crying: "Bring back my brilliant boy. How did my golden son with a government job go from before my eyes?"

His elder brother Ripon Karmakar said Nupur's body was cremated on the afternoon of Wednesday 6 September. "My only brother left this world because he could not be given the vaccine in time. We will seek legal redress."

Md Abdul Matin, confidential assistant (CA) at the Sonaimuri upazila nirbahi officer's office, told Jago News that on hearing the news, upazila nirbahi officer Md Ismail Hossain and everyone from the office went to see Nupur's body that afternoon. "It is sad that a young life was lost for want of a vaccine."

Chatkhil upazila health officer Dr Khondoker Moshtaq Ahmed told Jago News the patient was brought to the hospital's outpatient department at around midnight. "Since we had no snakebite vaccine, he was given first aid and sent to Cumilla. He died there."

Dr Helal Uddin, superintendent of Noakhali General Hospital, told Jago News the hospital has adequate stocks of snakebite vaccine. "If anyone has given false information, it will be investigated and action taken."

District civil surgeon Dr Masum Iftekhar told Jago News he had looked into the matter. "The patient's condition was very bad. Noakhali has vaccine in stock but no ICU, so he was sent to Cumilla. Even so, if anyone was negligent we will look into it and take action."

Nupur Karmakar joined the Sonaimuri upazila nirbahi officer's office in 2022 as a district administration employee, working as an office assistant-cum-computer typist. He passed his HSC from Noakhali Government College and completed a higher degree in mathematics at Government Titumir College. His sudden death has cast a pall of grief over the area.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.