A farmer named Md Ismail, 45, has died after being bitten by a venomous snake. The incident happened on Thursday night in Shahabhikari village of Sonagazi upazila in Feni.

His son Md Shahin said his father was returning home from the local Karamatia bazar at around 10:30pm when a snake bit his right leg on the way. He tied a rope above the wound and came home. At first an ojha (faith healer) was brought to the house to perform ritual healing. When his condition worsened, he was taken to the upazila health complex at around 1am, but instead of treating him there, staff sent him to Feni General Hospital. He died on the way to the hospital.

Dr Md Sadequl Karim, the doctor on duty in the hospital's emergency department, said the patient's condition was found to be critical after examination when he was brought in, so he was told to go to Feni General Hospital for better treatment.

Upazila health and family planning officer Utpal Das said the upazila health complex has enough vaccine (antivenom) to treat snakebite patients. Why the vaccine was not given after the patient was brought to the health complex will be looked into, he said.

Sudip Roy Palash, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sonagazi Model Police Station, said the body of the man who died of the venomous snakebite has been kept at the Feni General Hospital morgue for a post-mortem.

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