Toddler falls to death from RMCH balcony

Detailed summary

A two-year-old boy died after falling from an unguarded balcony at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital yesterday afternoon.

A two-year-old boy died after falling from an unguarded balcony at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital yesterday afternoon.

The deceased, Abu Huraira, was the son of Hridoy Ali, a resident of Kushtia Sadar upazila.

Dr Sk Shamim Ahmed, spokesperson for the hospital, confirmed the death.

Hridoy Ali was receiving treatment for dengue, while his daughter Umme Khadija was admitted with abdominal complications.

According to Hridoy, the family had nearly exhausted its savings to cover the treatment costs and was preparing to return home.

At the time of the incident, Hridoy’s wife, Selina Begum, had gone to a doctor’s chamber to collect necessary documents, while his son Abu Huraira was in the ward. The child, who had recently started walking, apparently wandered through an open ward gate onto a balcony without a safety grille, from where he fell.

Dr Shamim said the area was under construction and remained somewhat unprotected.

“The child was without a guardian at the time. He fell while playing. We started treatment immediately, but could not save him,” he said.

“The family is very poor. On the director’s instructions, arrangements have been made for them to return home from the hospital,” he added.

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Daily Star. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.