The Tamil Nadu Medical Students’ Association has written to Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin seeking his intervention in bringing back the body of a student from the Philippines, where he had gone to study medicine.
The student, who hailed from Sirkazhi, had died on August 10, but doctors are yet to declare the cause of death or send his body home, the association said.
A. Aswin, a 22-year-old Lyceum North Western University student in the Philippines, had completed his final year of MBBS and was to soon join a medical clerkship, which is the equivalent of a house surgeon in India. Prior to beginning the clerkship, students are required to take six precautionary vaccines. Mr. Aswin had taken two vaccines -- the MMR vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella and the Hepatitis B vaccine on August 9, the day before he died.
“Aswin and his friends had all taken the vaccine on the same day and had gone home to rest. The next day, when his friends knocked on his door, he did not respond. They broke the door open to find him dead,” a student at the same university, and also hailing from Tamil Nadu told The Hindu on the condition of anonymity.
Initial reports given by local medical officers after declaring Aswin dead was that it may be due to hypersensitivity to the vaccines, the student said. However, the time taken to conduct an autopsy, embalm the body and begin the process to transport it to India has taken over 10 days due to COVID-19 restrictions and lack of funds.
Classmates and friends of Aswin crowdfunded a total of ₹7 lakh to pay for the necessary procedure as his family was unable to. His father ran a small business in Sirkazhi, but business has come to a standstill due to COVID-19, the father had told his friends.
The friends travelled 250 km from where the university is located to Manila, which is in lockdown several times to complete documentation. To help them with the cause, the Tamil Nadu Medical Students’ Association wrote a letter to the CM and to the Health Minister to help expedite the process.
“We request the CM to take action and bring his body from Philippines free of cost and to get due compensation from the Philippines government for the bereaved family,” the letter read.
On August 20, the students were informed that Aswin'’ remains, currently at the Manila Airport cargo holding, may be sent on a flight from there on Monday and would arrive in Chennai, early on Wednesday on a flight via Dubai. “We will not know till they load the casket onto the flight but we will ensure that his body reaches his parents safely. Some of his friends will receive the body in Chennai and go to Sirkazhi in an ambulance,” one of his senior colleagues said.
