Nasim still in deep coma, not breathing on his own

The condition of former health minister Mohammed Nasim remained unchanged yesterday as he was still in deep coma.

"Mohammed Nasim is totally unconscious. He is not breathing on his own," Prof Dr Kanak Kanti Barua, chief of the 13-member medical board formed to oversee Nasim's health, told The Daily Star last night.

Asked whether the 72-year-old Awami League lawmaker from Sirajganj-1 was clinically dead, he said they would have to carry out the "brain stem function" test to reach a decision in this regard.

"Mohammed Nasim's heart is still beating, but his blood pressure remains unstable," added Kanak, also the vice chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.

Nasim, a presidium member of the AL, has been undergoing treatment at the city's Bangladesh Specialised Hospital since June 1. Later, he tested positive for Covid-19. He suffered a brain stroke on June 5.

The BSMMU VC said a healthy person usually takes 18 to 20 breaths per minute.

"But Mohammed Nasim is not taking a single breath on his own. We have put him on life support," he added.

Dr Raziul Haque, a neurosurgeon at Bangladesh Specialised Hospital, said they would take a decision on turning the life support offafter conducting the "brain stem function" test.

"But before doing that, we will have to seek the consent of his family members," Raziul told this newspaper.

Nasim has been on life support since June 6 as his condition deteriorated.

His son Tanvir Shakil Joy, also a former AL MP, told media on June 5 that his father had undergone a successful surgery after suffering a stroke.