The health and family welfare ministry would submit a list of 859 martyrs of the student-led mass uprising to the next cabinet meeting scheduled to be held on Monday.
Professor Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the health and family welfare ministry adviser, confirmed the matter, while addressing a meeting at the ministry’s conference room on Thursday. The meeting focused on medical treatment for injured protesters and the rehabilitation of the families of the martyrs, said a press release.
‘This is not a final list, as the process of verifying and cross-checking information is still ongoing. If further information about people being martyred emerges, they will be incorporated into the list prepared to present before the cabinet,’ Sayedur said.
Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on November 17 said that about 1,500 people were killed and 19,931 others injured during the uprising.
At the Thursday’s meeting, Khondoker Zahirul Islam, team leader of the special cell investigating the uprising, informed attendees that verified information about 859 martyrs had so far been received from the management information system department of the Directorate General of Health Services.
Secretary of the health services division, Saidur Rahman, said that a letter was sent to the finance ministry requesting an increase in the budget allocation for improving the quality of food for the injured protesters taking treatment at hospitals.
July Martyrs Memorial Foundation general secretary Sarjis Alam reported that the foundation had so far provided financial assistance to the families of 525 martyrs and 1,410 injured protesters.
Health education division secretary Sarwar Bari, social welfare ministry secretary Md Mohiuddin, liberation war affairs ministry secretary Ishrat Chowdhury, DGHS director general Professor Md Abu Zafar, and directorate of health education director general Nazmul Hossain, among others, were present in the meeting.
Source: Newage