No treatment for snakebite?

. PHOTO: AFP

Recently I made an official visit to Sylhet, the land of saints, flora and fauna. Despite the hectic schedule, I had my family with me - wife and two sons in order to have some good time in the evening. The Parjaton Motel near the Osmani Airport was our temporary abode.

In the evening, we all were treading the grassy open premises of the motel and then the most horrendous incident of my life took place. My eight-year old younger son was bitten by a snake. He started screaming and also my wife and elder son.

Within a moment, the whole atmosphere changed drastically and I was dumb-founded what to do as if the venom took over my senses with drowsy numbness.

However, I had to think of something in no time. I just snatched my wife's orna and strapped on my son's wound to obstruct the blood circulation to other parts of the body. The motel people were quite helpful I must say. We brought him to the reception. I cut open my son's wound, drained out almost 5 cc of blood and washed the wound with soap water.

We quickly managed a car and rushed to Sylhet Medical College Hospital. All our effort turned into utter despair when heard not a single anti-venom injection was available in the hospital. I simply broke down in sheer helplessness and disappointment, could not think of anything. My colleagues had no time for all this. They went out running from one end to another of the city just for a single ampoule with no luck!

Having left with no choice, we all left for Dhaka and that was another story. The roads were terrible with ever-increasing ditches and holes. It took more time than required. Every single moment seemed like a thousand light-year - breathless and silent. I was holding my son tight to my bosom, as if never to let him go and constantly praying to Allah. HE listened to my plea on this never-to-end journey. My son recovered.

On way back to Dhaka I was constantly questioning myself why a public hospital like Sylhet Medical College Hospital did not have anti-venom injections. What would happen if snake bites anyone from Sylhet? Why this affordable injection is not available there whereas Sylhet is a hilly region?

I simply could not find an answer!