Indian Medical Student Dies in China, Family Seeks MEA Help To Bring Body Back

Abdulla’s father said that his son died subsequent to complications arising from liver and kidney failure.

22-year old Abdulla Sheikh had left Tamil Nadu’s Pudukottai in 2017 to study medicine.

Image used for representational purposes. 

(Photo: iStock)

An Indian student from Tamil Nadu, studying medicine in China, died of an illness on 1 January, and his family has requested the foreign ministry to help them bring his body back, NDTV reported.

Who's the student?: 22-year-old Abdulla Sheikh had left Tamil Nadu’s Pudukottai in 2017 to study medicine and was pursuing an internship in China towards the end of his education.

The lead-up: Abdulla had returned to India during the COVID-19 pandemic and continued his studies online before the recent opportunity to undergo an internship and receive his certificates.

Sheikh went back to China on 11 December. Following an eight-day mandatory isolation period after arriving in China, he began interning at Qiqihar Medical University in Heilongjiang province, in north-east China. 

He subsequently fell ill and was admitted to a hospital attached to the university.

What did the family say?: On receiving information of his illness, Abdulla’s family appealed to the Pudukottai District Collector on 26 December and sought that his treatment continue after bringing him home, The Hindu said. They further requested authorities to help him finish his internship and practice medicine.

How did he die?: "However, the university informed Abdulla’s father that his son died without responding to treatment, subsequent to complications arising from liver and kidney failure," the report added.

Family approaches MEA: The aggrieved family, who allegedly spent large sums of money on Abdulla’s treatment, was asked to pay a hefty amount to send his body back to India.

Now, the family has asked the Ministry of External Affairs for assistance in the matter and has also approached the Tamil Nadu government.