Rajshahi University Student Chesi Tripura Dies Despite Being Flown to Dhaka by Air Ambulance
Chesi Tripura, a Rajshahi University (RU) student injured in a road accident, could not be saved despite being taken to Dhaka by air ambulance for advanced treatment. She died on Thursday night at the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital in Dhaka.
The university's proctor, Professor Mahbubur Rahman, confirmed the information on Thursday night. He said he had stayed at the hospital until the afternoon. At night, doctors formally declared Chesi dead and the hospital issued the release papers.
Chesi Tripura was a fourth-year student of the university's Microbiology Department. The untimely death of a student in the final phase of her studies has cast a shadow of grief over the university.
The accident happened last Monday. According to classmates and university administration sources, Chesi and another classmate had gone that day to a classmate's home in Bagmara, Rajshahi, for a Puja invitation. In the evening they were returning to campus in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw.
On the way back, in the Durgapur area, a speeding truck hit their auto-rickshaw. Chesi suffered severe head injuries. In collisions between small vehicles and heavy vehicles, head injuries are often the most fatal; it was the same in Chesi's case.
After the accident she was first taken to Durgapur Upazila Health Complex. After initial treatment there, she was transferred to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. As her condition deteriorated, she was taken to the intensive care unit (ICU).
With her condition critical, the university authorities arranged to send her to Dhaka for advanced treatment. On Tuesday afternoon she was flown by air ambulance to the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital in Dhaka — the country's specialised centre for treating severe head injuries.
After three days of treatment there, she died on Thursday night. Despite the air ambulance, the ICU and the specialised hospital — every effort — she could not be brought back.
Student deaths in road accidents are not new in the country. Speeding heavy vehicles, unsafe movement of small vehicles and disorder on the roads come up every time as the causes behind such deaths. Chesi's death has sharpened that discussion once again.
According to the proctor, the hospital formalities have been completed. The remaining processes, including handing over the body, will now be completed according to the next decisions of the university administration and the family.
