Dr. Mohammad Shahidul Islam

Dr. Mohammad Shahidul Islam Suman is an assistant professor in pediatrics. Over at CIMCH. He has his FCPS and MCPS. Both in child health. The waiting area outside his room is usually a mess of tired mothers and crying babies. Chittagong gets a lot of mosquitoes after the heavy rains. So he probably sees a ton of dengue cases. Kids coming in with high fevers. Looking weak. He sits at his desk. Maybe a faded plastic toy sitting near his pen stand. Just to distract the toddlers. They usually cry anyway. He checks their weight on that small digital scale. Writes the number down. Sort of a routine.

Parents always panic about small things. A cough that lasts two days. He just listens to the chest. The stethoscope is probably cold. He tells them it is just a viral thing. Prescribes some sweet-tasting syrup. He teaches the medical students on the ward too. Showing them how to check for dehydration. Pinching the skin on a baby's stomach. Seeing how fast it goes back flat. Just basic clinical stuff. He writes the discharge papers for the kids going home. Tells the parents to make sure they drink enough oral saline. They nod. Grab their bags. He calls the next name on the list.