A private hospital in the Indian city of Bengaluru withheld the body of a deceased Bangladeshi citizen for eight days over an unpaid medical bill, according to allegations made by the victim’s family and reported by The Times of India. The body was eventually released to the grieving family following diplomatic intervention by the Bangladesh High Commission, without the family having to pay the astronomical clearance fee initially demanded.
The deceased, 32-year-old Mohammad Abdul Hakim Sabuj, hailed from Naogaon district in Bangladesh, where he worked as a contractual government primary school teacher. Sabuj had been suffering from severe kidney ailments and traveled to Bengaluru on 5 September alongside his wife, Tanzila Islam Asha, seeking advanced medical care. On 6 September, he was admitted to Manipal Hospital, situated on Old Airport Road.
Shortly after his admission, Sabuj’s medical condition deteriorated rapidly. As he experienced severe respiratory distress and chest pain, doctors transferred him to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). His wife, Tanzila, stated that she paid a total of 750,000 Indian rupees in installments as demanded by the facility during his treatment. She noted, however, that the hospital administration failed to provide official receipts for these payments or offer a clear financial estimate of the total expected treatment costs.
Sabuj’s condition grew increasingly critical when a severe infection developed in his right leg, forcing surgeons to amputate the limb on 14 September. Despite the surgical intervention, his health continued to decline, and he succumbed to his illness on the afternoon of 18 September.
Tragedy soon turned into an ordeal for the young widow. When Tanzila attempted to make arrangements to transport her husband’s body back home to Bangladesh, hospital authorities presented an outstanding medical bill of 3.579 million Indian rupees. According to Tanzila, hospital management refused to release the body or return her passport until the entire sum was settled in full.
Facing immense distress in a foreign country, Tanzila reached out to the Bangladesh High Commission and local community contacts for urgent assistance. Following diplomatic representation and local intervention, Manipal Hospital finally surrendered the body on 26 September. A family friend who accompanied the couple, Mohammad Moktadir Hossain, confirmed that the body was released without paying any additional funds beyond the initial 750,000 rupees, and Tanzila’s passport was safely recovered.
While a representative for Manipal Hospital initially declined to comment on the specific allegations, the facility subsequently issued a formal statement addressing the clinical aspects of the case. According to the hospital, Sabuj was admitted in a critical condition with abnormally low oxygen saturation levels. The hospital clarified that the patient suffered cardiac arrest in the ICU, requiring doctors to revive him twice before placing him on advanced extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and mechanical ventilator support.
