Free treatment for students hurt in Fatullah madrasa fire, two medical boards formed
Free treatment has been arranged for the students who fell ill in the fire at a madrasa in Fatullah, Narayanganj, Health State Minister M A Muhith has said. Two medical boards have already been formed for the treatment of these students, he said.
Visiting the students undergoing treatment at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery on Tuesday (November 10) afternoon, the state minister said two medical boards had already been formed to care for those under treatment. All the tests they need have been made free. The medical boards formed for the students' treatment include 13 to 14 specialist doctors, he said.
The fire broke out around 2 am on Monday night (November 9) on the second floor of the five-storey building of Jamia Ashrafia Madrasa in the Signboard area of Fatullah. The library on that floor was burnt. Rescuers said the fire may have started from an electrical short circuit. Madrasa teachers believe it may also have started from a mosquito coil. Smoke spread rapidly to different parts of the building.
Panic spread among the students in the building at the time, and they tried to rush out. A total of 79 people who fell ill in the incident were brought to the Burn Institute in Dhaka, of whom 16 were discharged after primary treatment.
Doctors said none of the students suffered burns, but their airways were damaged. Four have been kept under intensive observation, one of them in critical condition. That student has been put on life support.
State Minister M A Muhith said the fire caused major problems in the students' airways. They were having difficulty breathing and their airways were somewhat damaged.
He further said the madrasa is a multi-storey building; the second floor housed a library and the administrative section, and the fire started there. The students were on the third and fourth floors. As smoke spread heavily upward, their airways were damaged by the smoke.
The state minister said the doctors at the Burn Institute have been treating them with great care from the start. Our doctors are giving every patient proper treatment with intensive care through two medical boards. Many are recovering fairly well. We hope to discharge about 30 more by this evening or night. The rest are doing well so far, he said.
About the four students in the ICU, M A Muhith said they are being properly looked after in the ICU and, God willing, they too will recover.
Noting that such fires happen frequently, he stressed the need for everyone to be aware. At the same time, the state minister stressed the need to decentralise the Burn Institute's specialised services outside Dhaka.
The state minister further said such accidents can happen not only in madrasas but also in various educational institutions and students' residential hostels. Buildings are often used for purposes other than those for which they were built. Earlier, fires broke out in hotels and restaurants, even though those buildings were not built to be used as hotels or restaurants.
He said residential buildings are often used for commercial purposes. Similarly, a residential building may be converted into a madrasa. In such cases, it is essential to properly enforce building construction and use rules. Policy changes are needed in the construction, use and management of buildings to reduce fire risks.
