Mutilated by a quack
Life has not been kind to Shefali Akhter. By the age of 35, she has lost her husband and has had to take care of four children, making her ends meet working as a day labourer. With poverty came limited access to healthcare, that has now landed her at the Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH) -- in agony over a “surgery” that has not healed for weeks.
Shefali from Panchhat village of Khaliajury upazila in Netrakona, felt swelling and pain in her left breast about two months ago. She went to a local “doctor” Manik Talukder in Katla village with her complaints.
“He said I needed surgery and said it would cost Tk 20,000. I somehow managed the money and he operated on me at Iqbal Homeo Pharmacy in Panchhat Bazar. Since then I have felt severe pain and there is a huge scar that is not healing properly,” Shefali told The Daily Star from her hospital bed recently.
Manik -- who police later found had no medical licence -- cut off a part of her left breast in the name of cancer treatment.
The victim said no biopsy or other tests were done before the surgery.
After Manik ignored her complaints of pain, a desperate Shefali eventually filed a case with Khaliajury Police Station accusing Manik and SHM Iqbal Chowdhury, also a homeopathic practitioner and proprietor of Iqbal Homeo Pharmacy, on September 10. Police arrested Manik the same day, and he was produced before a Netrakona court the following day that sent him to jail, said officer-in-charge of Khaliajury Police Station ATM Mahmudul Haque.
The OC also said Manik introduced himself as a homeopathic practitioner but could not show documents supporting his claim. Police drives are on to arrest Iqbal soon, said the OC.
With aid from upazila administration and police, Shefali was admitted to surgery unit-1 of MMCH on Saturday night, said Khaliajury Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) AHM Ariful Islam.
Deputy Commissioner of Netrakona Moyeenul Islam and police superintendent Md Akbar Ali Munshi are monitoring the treatment of Shefali, he added.
Dr Md Habibur Rahman Shimul, assistant registrar of MMCH surgery unit-1, yesterday said samples for biopsy test were sent to Dhaka to confirm whether she has breast cancer. The report will be available next week, he said, adding that the next course of treatment will be decided after getting the report.
Dr Laxmi Narayan Majumder, deputy director of MMCH, said hospital authorities are providing her treatment for free.
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