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Published : 14 May 2026, 01:04 PM
A toddler has died at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH) after battling for his life for a month and a half.
Rafsan Aiyar, aged 18 months, passed away at the hospital’s measles isolation ward at 10:30pm on Wednesday.
His grieving parents, Parvez Mosharraf and Rupa Akter, believe they might not have lost their only child had the facility been equipped with an intensive care unit (ICU).
The couple spent the last 45 days moving from one hospital to another in a desperate bid to save their son.
Parvez, a tea stall owner from Sreepur in Gazipur, recalled that Rafsan’s condition spiralled when a fever turned into pneumonia in the middle of last month.
Following a five-day stint at MMCH, the boy received a measles vaccine on Apr 26.
He said the child was later taken to Mawna Al Hera Hospital after the fever returned and he stayed there for two days before being sent home.
Three days later, the fever returned again, leading to another admission at the same hospital for three days.
When his condition worsened, doctors referred him back to Mymensingh Medical on May 5, where he was admitted to the measles isolation ward until his death on Wednesday night.
"I left no stone unturned to save my son," the heartbroken father said.
He expressed his disbelief that a divisional city lacks paediatric ICU facilities, suggesting his son might have pulled through with better life-support arrangements.
Rafsan is among 32 children who have succumbed to measles and related symptoms at the hospital in the last two months.
Dr Mazharul Amin, an assistant registrar at MMCH, said many of these children had low immunity, often due to a lack of breastfeeding.
He confirmed that those who died required ICU support and might have survived if such care were available.
Associate Professor Md Golam Mawla, the focal person for the measles isolation ward, admitted that the absence of an ICU has contributed to the rising death toll.
While he mentioned that work is under way to set up a paediatric ICU, the current situation remains a grave concern for the region’s children.
In a bulletin issued on Thursday morning, Dr Jhontu Sarkar, senior store officer at MMCH, reported 24 new admissions with measles symptoms alongside Rafsan’s death in the 24 hours to 8am.
During this window, 17 children were discharged, leaving 102 still undergoing treatment.
Since Mar 17, the hospital has treated 1,317 patients, with 1,183 returning home after recovery.
