A government-appointed probe committee has found negligence on the part of Ad-din Medical College Hospital authorities in connection with the deaths of six newborn babies in Dhaka, Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain said on Thursday.
The minister disclosed the findings at a press briefing held at his office in the capital, confirming that the investigation report has identified lapses in hospital management related to the tragic incident.
According to the minister, further administrative steps will be taken by the hospital authorities within Sunday based on the recommendations and conclusions of the probe report.
The deaths occurred on 27 May at the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the Moghbazar area of Dhaka. The newborns, aged between one and four days, died within a few hours of one another starting around 6am.
Initial accounts from hospital sources indicated that two of the infants were brought dead to the NICU from the post-operative delivery room, while the remaining four died while undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit.
Although the exact medical cause of the deaths has not yet been officially confirmed, officials from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and relatives of the victims had earlier raised concerns over possible shortcomings in hospital management and ventilation systems in the post-operative ward.
The probe committee’s findings have now added administrative negligence to the concerns surrounding the incident, prompting calls for corrective measures and accountability within the hospital system.
