Veteran language movement veteran Ahmad Rafique has been hospitalised once more following a deterioration in his health. 

The 94-year-old was admitted to LabAid Hospital in Dhaka on Saturday evening (September 6) after his blood oxygen levels dropped, according to family sources.

Just a day earlier, on Friday (September 5), Rafique had been discharged from the same hospital and returned home. 

BRAC University academic Ismail Sadi, who has been in close contact with Rafique, stated that doctors had advised against keeping him in hospital due to infection risks, saying home care would be more appropriate under the circumstances.

However, his condition worsened again on Saturday, prompting his readmission. Rafique’s personal assistant, Abul Kalam, said that the writer’s health had been fragile ever since a fall in 2021 left him with a broken leg. The injury significantly curtailed his writing activities, contributing to a period of mental distress, he added.

Following his discharge on Friday, a nurse from LabAid, a hospital employee, and a private caregiver assigned by Rafique’s family were tending to him around the clock. The full cost of his medical care is currently being covered by LabAid authorities.

Ahmad Rafique, a prominent figure in Bangladesh’s language movement, was born on September 12, 1929, in Brahmanbaria.

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