Srinagar MBBS student dies in Iran due to health complications, family alleges medical negligence
Srinagar: In an unfortunate incident, a 27-year-old fourth-year MBBS student from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, pursuing her career at Urmia University of Medical Sciences in Iran has tragically passed away in an Iranian Hospital following health complications.
Her family and friends have alleged medical negligence, as they claim that she was not given the timely and best medical care.
According to her family, the student had complained of severe abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting on August 13 and was admitted to a hospital in Iran. Despite treatment, her condition worsened, and she breathed her last around 3:00 AM local time.
Even though doctors there cited fulminant hepatic failure (acute liver failure) with lung complications as the cause of death, her friends and fellow students alleged that she had faced delays in medical attention and was not given proper treatment on time.
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As per Kashmir Digest media report, she is the first Kashmiri MBBS student among more than 100 Indian students evacuated during the escalated phase of Israel-Iran who returned home two months ago safely, but her life was cut short, and so were her dreams to become a doctor. She had been pursuing her MBBS degree in Iran since 2021.
Her family has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to urgently bring back her mortal remains so that her last rites can be performed in Srinagar.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has written to External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, requesting his intervention for the swift repatriation of her body and demanding an inquiry into allegations of medical negligence at the hospital in Iran.
In its letter, the JKSA National Convener, Nasir Khuehami, said that Saba’s 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.
Her friends claimed that an ambulance took three hours to reach her and, upon arrival at the hospital, she was allegedly made to wait for two hours before being given a bed. 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 gastrointestinal ward, she was moved from the Emergency Ward to a corridor outside the gastrointestinal ward. Later, she was shifted to the International Patient Department (IPD), where her condition reportedly deteriorated further.
Following this, 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. After she died, no medical reports were shared with them.
The association has urged Indian authorities to take up the matter with Iran, ensure transparency in the investigation, and hold the hospital accountable if negligence is proven.
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