DHAKA, April 13, (V7N) - Health and Family Welfare Adviser Nurjahan Begum today revealed that 864 people were killed and more than 14,000 injured during last year’s July-August mass uprising, with many victims suffering permanent disabilities.

At a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, the adviser said the true scale of the human toll became clear only after her office began hospital visits and compiled a national database. "We found many without eyes, limbs, or hands. It was difficult to even confirm their identities, as many used false names or phone numbers," she noted.

The adviser said the government has begun compensating families of the deceased through the ‘July Smriti Foundation’, with each martyr’s family receiving Tk 3 million via the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs. Those injured are being issued lifetime health cards for free treatment.

She noted that 40 people have already been sent abroad for advanced treatment—26 to Bangkok, 13 to Singapore, and one to Russia—while eight more are pending approval. “We’re preparing to send 21 patients to Turkey and 31 to Pakistan,” she added, highlighting the lack of local air ambulance services and foreign exchange complications initially faced.

Eye injuries were among the most common, with 700 people losing vision—21 of them in both eyes. “There’s still a shortage of trauma treatment facilities,” she said, but added that China will fund a new 1,000-bed hospital in Rangpur to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties.

Officials from the Health Ministry, DGHS, and National Institute of Ophthalmology spoke at the briefing, emphasizing that while some application verifications are still ongoing, all efforts have been made to ensure genuine victims receive care, regardless of where they live.

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