Woman dies giving up ICU bed for her son

Mothers do everything to protect their children. An example of universal resonance is Prabha Rani Pal, 65, who put her son's life before her own. 
 

Prabha breathed her last at the Covid isolation unit at Chattogram General Hospital Tuesday night. She had been shifted to the unit an hour before her death from the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital. 

Earlier, the woman was admitted to the ICU with critical symptoms of Covid-19, while her son, Shimul Pal, 45, was receiving treatment at the hospital's isolation ward.

On Tuesday night, Shimul's condition deteriorated and he needed intensive care as well. But the hospital did not have a single ICU bed vacant. 

Being aware of this, Prabha insisted that she be taken to the isolation ward to make the ICU bed available for her son. 

"When the doctors were hesitant, she took off her life support equipment. The doctors then had no choice but to relocate her and put her son on the ICU bed," said Senior Consultant of the hospital Abdur Rob.

The doctors on duty did this with the consent of family members. Within an hour after the relocation, Prabha died. 

Rob said Prabha had been in the isolation ward since 15 June and was moved to the ICU on 22 July. Her son Shimul was admitted to the isolation ward on 21 July.

"We have 18 ICU beds in the hospital, 15 of which are occupied right now. The remaining three beds are not functional," Rob added.

Chattogram has been facing the worst crisis of Covid since the latest wave struck the country. Deaths and infections are increasing every day and there is an acute crisis of ICU beds.

Brigadier General SM Humayun Kabir, director of Chittagong Medical College Hospital, said, "We do not have any vacant ICU beds in the hospital at the moment. But several critical patients need ICU facilities for better treatment."