Dhaka: British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke today visited the air force jet crash victims of Milestone Schools and College at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery (NIBPS) here. NIBPS resident surgeon Dr. Shawon Bin Rahman reported that during her 45-minute stay at the facility, the British envoy held a meeting with doctors, visited the burn victims, and inquired about their conditions.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Cooke pledged to extend all sorts of cooperation in treating the burn victims and offered support for their rehabilitation. Rahman mentioned that she expressed satisfaction with the treatment protocol in place. A nine-member specialised UK Emergency Medical Team (UK EMT) has been collaborating with Bangladeshi doctors to treat the Milestone burn victims at NIBPS over the past week, having arrived in Bangladesh on a three-week mission.
NIBPS officials stated that the British medical team has attended every medical board meeting for the last three days, working under a combined medical protocol for the victims' treatment and visiting the patients daily. Rahman added that the British medical team comprises highly experienced clinical professionals, including infectious disease specialists, intensive care doctors, infection prevention and control nurses, and rehabilitation specialists.
He further noted that during their stay, the British doctors will collaborate with Bangladeshi clinicians to deliver critical care and rehabilitation services to injured students at NIBPS. "As many as 23 burn victims from the jet crash are still being treated at the burn institute. The condition of one patient is critical and is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)," Rahman said. NIBPS has so far discharged 14 burn survivors after treatment.
Earlier on July 21, a Bangladesh Air Force fighter jet crashed into a two-storey building of the Milestone School and College in the capital's Uttara minutes after takeoff around 1 pm, resulting in 35 fatalities, including the pilot, according to health ministry officials.