JKSA seeks repatriation of MBBS Student’s mortal remains

Srinagar, Aug 15: The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association on Friday has written to Union External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, seeking his urgent humanitarian intervention for the swift repatriation of the mortal remains of  Sabha Rasool, a 27-year-old MBBS student from Safakadal, Srinagar, who died in Iran earlier this week. The Association has also urged the Ministry to take up the matter with Iranian authorities to initiate a thorough probe into allegations of gross medical negligence.In a letter to External Affairs Minister, National Convenor of Association Nasir Khuehami said that Sabha Rasool, a fourth-year MBBS student at Urmia University of Medical Sciences, passed away following a sudden deterioration in her health, leaving her family, friends, and community in deep shock and inconsolable grief. “Her friends and batchmates, who were present during her illness and at the hospital, have alleged that her death may have been the result of gross medical negligence,” the letter to Dr. Jaishankar reads.According to the account provided by her friends, Saba had been experiencing nausea and vomiting for several days. They claimed it took three hours for a regular ambulance to arrive, and upon reaching the hospital, she was allegedly made to wait for two hours before being allotted a bed in the Emergency Ward (Urjanas). “Despite her critical condition, she was reportedly kept only on normal saline for two days and given painkillers only when she complained of pain. Friends allege that her vitals were not checked for an entire day and there was no regular monitoring,” the letter stated.The Association said that after repeated requests to transfer her to the GI Ward, she was moved from the Emergency Ward to a corridor outside the GI Ward. Later, she was shifted to the International Patient Department (IPD), where her condition reportedly deteriorated further. “Friends say she developed seizures, her vitals became unstable, and she experienced tachycardia. She was then moved to the ICU. On the final day, she stopped speaking and kept her eyes closed,” it added.