For Farzana Islam and Helal Bhuiyan, the arrival of their son, Fayaz Hasan Tajim, was not merely a birth—it was the conclusion of an eleven-year odyssey. After more than a decade of marriage and a grueling journey through the physical and financial tolls of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), the couple had finally achieved their lifelong dream of parenthood.
But the joy that followed Tajim’s birth was short-lived. On April 22, at just eight months and 18 days old, the child died after a harrowing battle with measles. His death has left his parents devastated and has sparked a public outcry from a mother who now uses her grief to highlight a systemic failure in pediatric care and public health oversight.
The tragedy is compounded by a cruel irony of timing: Tajim was scheduled to receive his first dose of the measles vaccine on May 1. He passed away just nine days before that appointment. For Farzana, who now identifies herself on social media as “Tajim er Ammu” (Tajim’s Mother), the loss is not just a personal bereavement, but a catalyst for demanding accountability from a healthcare system that she feels failed her son.
The High Cost of a Long-Awaited Dream
The road to Tajim’s birth was paved with the complexities of IVF, a process that requires not only significant medical intervention but immense financial sacrifice. For Farzana and Helal, the process was a high-stakes gamble involving reproductive cells fertilized outside the body and then transferred to the womb. The emotional weight of an eleven-year wait meant that Tajim was more than a child; he was the center of their hopes and dreams.
However, the financial burden of bringing Tajim into the world was quickly eclipsed by the cost of trying to keep him alive. As his health declined in March, the family entered a cycle of medical debt and desperation. Farzana reports that they spent more than Tk 400,000 (approximately $3,400 USD) on measles treatment alone over a period of 17 days, a figure that does not include the initial costs of treating pneumonia.
A Descent into Medical Chaos
Tajim’s illness began in March with symptoms of pneumonia and diarrhea. What initially seemed like a manageable respiratory infection soon evolved into measles, a highly contagious viral disease that can be lethal for unvaccinated infants. What followed was a desperate “hospital-hopping” journey across Dhaka and Narayanganj, illustrating the critical shortage of pediatric beds in the region.
The family’s struggle to find consistent care is summarized in the following timeline of Tajim’s final weeks:
| Date/Period | Facility/Action | Outcome/Issue |
|---|---|---|
| March 18–25 | Pro-Active Medical College Hospital | Treated in PICU and general ward; discharged March 25. |
| Early April | Home Care | Condition worsened four days after discharge. |
| April 5 onwards | Bangladesh Shishu Hospital & Institute | No empty beds available; forced to seek alternative care. |
| Mid-April | Alok Hospital (Mirpur) | Treated in PICU and Ward. |
| Mid-April | Universal Medical College Hospital | No empty beds available. |
| Mid-April | Supermax Healthcare Ltd (Dhanmondi) | Cannula complications (swollen leg); parents barred from PICU. |
| April 18–22 | Pro-Active Medical College Hospital | Readmitted to PICU; Tajim passed away on April 22. |
The experience at Supermax Healthcare was particularly traumatic for the parents. Farzana recalls the distress of being barred from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), unable to be by her son’s side during his most critical moments. She also noted a medical complication where Tajim’s leg became swollen and hardened due to a cannula, adding further physical suffering to the child’s final days.
The Tragedy of the Missed Vaccine
From a clinical perspective, Tajim’s death highlights the precarious window of vulnerability for infants. In many immunization schedules, the first dose of the measles vaccine is administered around nine months of age. Tajim, at eight months and 18 days, was just shy of this milestone. The virus struck in the gap between the loss of maternal antibodies and the administration of the first vaccine dose.
For Farzana, the vaccination card—which she has shared on Facebook—serves as a haunting reminder of how close they were to protection. She describes the agony of looking into her son’s eyes and recognizing the depth of his pain, a realization that has transformed her grief into a demand for political action.
A Mother’s Plea for Accountability
In the wake of the funeral, the family’s disorientation was so profound that they inadvertently left the final discharge document—which contained the official cause of death—in the ambulance. This missing piece of paperwork is a poignant symbol of the chaos and trauma that defined Tajim’s final hours.
Farzana has since turned to social media to voice her anger. She has pointed out that other children have been dying of measles over the past two months, yet there has been a perceived lack of urgency in the government’s response. In her posts, she questions why there has been no discussion in Parliament and why no officials have admitted failure in the public health strategy to curb these preventable deaths.
Her public questioning—asking why children are born into a system that cannot protect them—reflects a broader frustration with the disparity between private healthcare costs and the actual quality of care and accessibility provided to the most vulnerable.
Medical Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. For information regarding vaccination schedules and the prevention of measles, please consult a licensed healthcare provider or the World Health Organization (WHO).
The family continues to share memories of Tajim, including what Farzana calls “my baby’s last smiling picture,” as they seek a sense of closure that the medical system failed to provide. There is currently no official government statement regarding the recent cluster of measles deaths mentioned by Farzana and the family awaits any formal acknowledgment of the systemic failures they encountered.
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