Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Monday sought explanation from three hospitals over the death of two immature newborn as the hospitals’ authorities were reluctant to give treatment.
The hospitals are— Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka Shishu (Children) Hospital and Islami Bank Hospital in Mugda.
The directors of the hospitals have been asked to submit written statements over their role in not giving treatment to the newborn babies in 48 hours after receiving the High Court order.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Ahmed Sohel passed the order after the judges had been notified over the issue.
The court also issued a rule asking the respondents to explain as to why their inaction in giving proper treatment to the newborn babies should not be declared illegal.
AKM Aminuddin Manik, a state counsel for the concerned High Court bench, said that the father of the two new-born babies, Md Abul Kalam Azad, also an MLSS of the Supreme Court, took them in the Supreme Court premises after his failure to admit them in any hospital though he went to the three institutions. Then the High Court bench passed the order, said the lawyer.
The state counsel also said that Abul Kalam’s wife Sayera Khatun felt ill on Monday morning and then they decided to get admission to a hospital. But she gave birth to two baby boys in a CNG-powered auto-rickshaw on her way to Mugda Hospital.
On an immediate decision they admitted the new-born and their mother in Islami Bank Hospital in Mugda. After primary treatment, the Islami Bank Hospital authority suggested them to take the new born to the Dhaka Shishu (Children) Hospital as the babies were immature and they didn’t have any system to treat such children.
Then the two babies were taken to the Dhaka Shishu (Children) Hospital in where the doctors said that there was no vacancy in the ICU section for keeping the immature babies. They also said that the babies could be admitted in the normal section and Tk 5000 will be required for each baby per day.
In this circumstance, Abul Kalm Azad contacted with a High Court judge who asked him to bring his newborn to the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and to talk to the director of the institution. Father of the babies followed the suggestions but he failed to contact with the director as he was in a meeting.
Finally a doctor came to the ambulance to see the new-born and declared that the twins were no longer alive.
Then Abul Kalam Azad came to the High Court with the dead bodies of his babies and the court passed order over the issue. Sources said that the mother of the babies is now receiving treatment in Islami Bank Hospital in Mugda.
