Staff Reporter :
A Bangladeshi born US doctor, who arrived in Dhaka on Sunday to serve the countrymen amid coronavirus health crisis, alleged harassment and sending him to institutional quarantine unreasonably.
The physician, Khondker Ferdous, who hailed from Debidwar of Cumilla and a practitioner in New York, said that 128 people were on the flight by which he came to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA). But only he was sent on quarantine for 14 days at BRAC Learning Centre near the airport. “They did it unscientifically,” he said and explained that he had Covid-19 antibody test result which showed that his body had antibody against Covid-19.
Dr Ferdous said that he did not know the exact cause of sending him to institutional quarantine and harassment. “But, it is being said that I am a relative of Khondoker Mushtaq Ahmad and police went to our village home.”
He said that he had no relation with Khondoker Mostaq who became president after the assassination of the country’s founding President Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
He said that those who forced him to go on quarantine were plainclothesmen, and he was not feeling comfortable to give their identities.
“I told them that I wanted to go to my Banani residence but they asked me to stay here. I asked them whether they had been applying separate rules only for me. They answered that they would not answer so many questions,’ he said.
He also alleged that the airport customs did not release his eight luggage full of mask and gloves and PPEs for tax.
“I brought these protective gears to distribute among the people free of cost,” he claimed.
Officials of Medical Department at HISA said, out of 128 passengers of the flight, they sent one to institutional quarantine and 27 others to home quarantine.
A doctor of the department said that the security officials took Ferdous to institutional quarantine though he had COVID-19 antibody positive report with him.
