Kashmiri MBBS student dies in Iran; JKSA urges Jaishankar for repatriation, probe into alleged negligence

A 27-year-old MBBS student from Srinagar died in Iran following a sudden deterioration of health and alleged medical negligence, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) said in a letter to the Union external affairs minister S Jaishankar, seeking “urgent humanitarian intervention”.

In a letter to the external affairs minister, JKSA urged him to facilitate the swift repatriation of her mortal remains for last rites in Srinagar. The students also requested him to take up the matter with the Iranian government for a thorough and transparent investigation into the alleged medical negligence.

Sabha Rasool, a fourth-year MBBS student from Safakadal, Srinagar, enrolled at Urmia University of Medical Sciences, died earlier this week following a sudden deterioration in her health.

Sabha had been experiencing nausea and vomiting for several days, her friends said. Her batchmates claimed that it took three hours for a regular ambulance to arrive after her health started getting worse, and she was allegedly made to wait for two hours before being allotted a bed in the Emergency Ward.

“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.

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'We want to see our daughter one last time'

The association said that after repeated requests to transfer her to the GI ward, she was moved from the emergency room to a corridor outside the GI ward. Later, she was shifted to the International Patient Department (IPD), where her condition deteriorated further.

Friends say she developed seizures and her vitals became unstable. “Till the time she was stable, we were provided with all her reports. However, after her condition worsened, no medical reports have been shared with us,” they added.

“Doctors cited the cause of death as fulminant hepatic failure (acute liver failure) along with pulmonary complications. However, her friends and fellow students alleged that until her death, the doctors were unable to diagnose her exact illness,” the letter added.

Calling it “a desperate plea from a devastated family seeking both justice and the opportunity to see their daughter one last time,” the JKSA's Iran unit coordinator Faizan Aishna said that Jaishankar’s timely intervention “will not only bring solace to their shattered hearts but also reaffirm India’s commitment to the dignity and protection of its citizens abroad”.