A schoolboy named Simanta Nath has died of a snakebite in Mirsharai, Chattogram. He was bitten by a snake in front of his house on the afternoon of Tuesday, 17 September.

Simanta was the son of Kanti Nath of Dewanpur village in Zorarganj union of the upazila. He was a class seven pupil at Zorarganj Adarsha High School.

Relatives said that after the bite they took him to an ojha (traditional snake healer) in the local Bede community. Later they took him to the upazila health complex, which referred him to Chattogram Medical College Hospital because it had no antivenom. But after he was taken to the hospital, a doctor declared him dead in the evening. He was brought back from the hospital and cremated at 4am on Wednesday.

However, Dr Faria Silvi, the doctor on duty in the emergency department of Mirsharai Upazila Health Complex, said several snakebite patients came in on Tuesday, but no patient named Simanta Nath came.

Mirsharai upazila health officer Dr Minhaz Uddin said a snakebite victim should be taken to hospital first, and the family made a mistake by taking him to an ojha. He said no patient of that name was admitted: "I checked the registration book from Tuesday morning until 11pm. Besides, the hospital has antivenom in stock. The relatives may have taken him straight from the ojha to Chattogram Medical College Hospital."

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