Investigation committee instituted
Four newborns died in Tangail General Hospital on Friday after they had been administered injection ‘with their dates expired.’ Parents alleged the the four babies had died between 9:00am and 11:00am a few minutes after being administered injection by a nurse by the name of Rita on prescriptions by physician Syful Islam. The health ministry, meanwhile at night, set up a three-member committee led by director (health) of the Dhaka division to investigate the matter. The committee has been asked to submit the report in three days after spot visit.
The deceased were the four-day-old child of Ripon Miah, eight-day-old child of Shajahan, 20-day-old child of Liton Miah and eight-day-old child of Morsheda.
Liton Miah told New Age that that his child had died after the child had been administered date expired injection.
The condition of his child deteriorated rapidly after the administration of the injection and the child died within half an hour, he said.
All the physicians and staff left the hospital immediately after the incident and most of the officials concerned had switched off their mobiles.
The parents left the hospital along with the bodies after wailing there for some time. Other patients in the hospital faced problems as the physicians had left fearing trouble.
Additional deputy magistrate Mohiuddin Khan visited the hospital about 2:30pm. He, however, declined comments.
The hospital staff and physicians started working in the evening after police deployment.
The resident medical officer, Rafiqul Islam, told New Age that all the four babies were born premature.
The babies were admitted to the specialised unit in a critical condition, he claimed. ‘On an average two to three babies die from septicemia [a kind of blood infection] in the hospital every day.’
Physician Syful Islam, however, brushed aside the allegation of wrong treatment and said that the injections were not date-expired.
The director general of health services, Khondaker Mohammed Shefayetullah, in the evening said that he had asked for the institution of a committee to investigation the allegation.
MA Sattar, president of the Tangail unit of the Bangladesh Human Rights Commission, demanded an exemplary punishment of the people responsible for the death.
The Tangail police officer-in-charge, Abu Obayda, said that they had not received any allegation in this regard.
-With New Age input
