“My daughter in the PICU was waiting just for me. She was turned to the other side. Her hands were tied. She turned her neck, saw me, and raised her hands as much as she could, saying, ‘Dad, hold me close. Give me some water.’ The physician told me not to go near. I couldn’t hold her, couldn’t give her water.”
This was the last request of Akira Haider Arshi, aged 4 years and 3 months, to her father Al Amin. Even now, the father cannot believe that his beloved child is gone.
The father and daughter had their last conversation on 1 April at noon in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of Dr MR Khan Shishu Hospital and Institute of Child Health in Mirpur, Dhaka. While on life support, Akira was declared dead after 8:00 pm on 2 April.
According to the death certificate issued by the hospital, the causes of death included measles, respiratory inflammation, systemic infection (sepsis), and a possible congenital heart defect.
Al Amin said that besides this hospital in Mirpur, his daughter had been admitted five times over 27 days at Delta Hospital and Global Specialised Hospital with pneumonia, measles, and other complications.
Al Amin works at a private company. He lives in Tolarbagh, Mirpur, with his wife Sanzida Haque, daughter Akira, and 15-month-old son Adian Haider. He spoke on Thursday morning at his father-in-law’s house nearby. After his daughter’s death, he had sent his wife and son to their home in Madaripur. The house now feels empty. As the first granddaughter in both families, Akira was deeply cherished.
He said, “I came back to Dhaka from Madaripur two days ago. Everywhere in the house, I see her memories. I feel suffocated. I will go back home again.”
At her grandmother’s house, Akira’s clothes, large doll, makeup box, and toys are scattered. Even from the hospital bed, she had asked for toys. A toy stethoscope, a pink motorbike, and a guitar had been bought for her. She played with them sitting on the hospital bed. Her father had taken photos and videos—now he weeps watching them.
Akira’s aunt Puspita Haque, who lives upstairs in the same building, showed the Eid dress bought for her. The price tag was still attached. Akira had chosen it herself over a video call from a market in Mirpur—but she never got to wear it. Even on Eid day, 21 March, she was in the hospital. Her fight for survival had begun on 8 March.
While all other family members—grandparents, parents—are alive, Akira now lies alone in the family graveyard in Madaripur, her father said.
The struggle begins
From 8 March to 2 April, Al Amin had to rush his daughter from one hospital to another. Initially, she was admitted with cold, fever, and cough. Later, treatment for pneumonia began. Only at the final stage did physicians confirm measles.
“At one hospital, there was no oxygen; at another, there was no PICU,” he said. She was admitted twice to Dr MR Khan Children’s Hospital.
“I think Akira contracted measles from this hospital. She stayed in the ward for a long time, where other children with measles were also admitted. I feared this from the beginning.”
He added, “Even with an oxygen mask on, she would lie on my chest and hold my hand. Then she let go of that hand and left.”
He said that on 6 March, Akira first had mild cough and fever, which they thought was due to seasonal change. Later, the symptoms worsened.
Meanwhile, his younger son also developed fever and diarrhea and was admitted to hospital on 8 March. At that time, an X-ray showed Akira had pneumonia. Both children were admitted to Dr MR Khan Hospital. The son was discharged on 19 March, while Akira was released on 14 March but soon fell ill again and had to be readmitted.
From 17 March, during the Eid holidays, the shortage of physicians worsened the situation. By 24 March, Akira developed breathing difficulties, high fever, mouth sores preventing her from eating, skin rashes, red eyes, fluid in the lungs, and blood infection. During this time, she had to be taken to three different hospitals.
Al Amin said that more than Tk 300,000 was spent on the treatment of both children. His office and relatives helped, but he still had to take loans.
With deep regret, he said, “I left no effort undone. I would have spent more if needed. I only wanted my daughter to live. The world was on one side, and my daughter on the other. I tried to fulfill all her wishes, no matter how hard it was. But…”
Although Akira received other vaccines after birth, she missed the measles vaccine (MR vaccine). Al Amin said, “This was definitely our big mistake, our negligence. Now I feel that if she had received this vaccine, she might have survived. I urge other parents—do not neglect vaccinations.”
Al Amin had been preparing to enroll his daughter in school and had even bought her a yellow school bag. The unopened Eid dress, toys, and her small wishes are now just memories.
Now he has only one wish that no other parent loses a child to measles or any illness. For that, hospitals must ensure oxygen, PICU facilities, and all necessary care. He hopes doctors will be more compassionate and that no parent will have to run from one hospital to another with their child.