A housewife named Rokeya Akter Rina (48) has died after being bitten by a venomous snake. The incident happened on Friday afternoon (11 July) in Solia village in the Parshuram municipality area of Feni. Rokeya was the wife of Shafiqul Islam Shahid of the village.

Local people and family members said that after floodwater from several days receded, Rokeya went into the kitchen to cook. At about 5pm on Friday, while she was cooking, a venomous snake came out of a hole in the room and bit her on the leg. Hearing her scream, her husband Shafiqul Islam took her first to the Parshuram Upazila Health Complex. According to the family, instead of taking treatment there they took her to Feni General Hospital, where a doctor declared her dead.

Dr Md Redwan, resident medical officer (RMO) of Feni General Hospital, confirmed that the housewife had died of snakebite and said she died before being brought to the hospital.

Feni civil surgeon Dr Mohammad Rubahayat Bin Karim said Rokeya Akter Rina came to the Parshuram Upazila Health Complex for snakebite treatment. After treatment was started immediately, her relatives asked for a discharge, saying they would voluntarily take her to Feni for treatment. When the patient's condition worsened in the meantime, the doctor at once began preparing antivenom. Her husband, Shafiqul Islam, asked for her to be referred to Feni right after the antivenom was prepared, and gave a signed written statement that any further treatment would be done in Feni. The patient died on the way to Feni.

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