Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Wednesday summoned the Director General of the Directorate of Health Services and Director (Hospitals and Clinics) Aminul Islam of the department for not complying with an earlier order of the court for setting up 30-bed ICU and CCU in all the district hospitals of the country.
They have to appear in the court on January 8, 2020, to explain their position.
The High Court bench of Justice J B M Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam passed the order after hearing a report submitted by the Directorate of Health Services, while hearing a writ petition filed by Human Rights Lawyers and Environment Society of Bangladesh.
Advocate Bashir Ahmed appeared in the court on behalf of the writ petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Nur-us Sadik stood for the State. Following a writ petition, the same High Court bench on August 28, this year ordered the Directorate of Health Services to submit a progress report over the project for setting up 30-bed ICU and CCU in all the district hospitals of the country.
The court asked the department to submit the report on October 23. But the department sought time on several occasions from the court to submit the report and finally they were supposed to submit it on Wednesday (yesterday).
The concerned lawyers said that the department yesterday submitted a report which was once submitted earlier.
Deputy Attorney General Nur-us Sadik said, “It is mandatory to set ICU and CCU in every hospital. The High Court wanted to know situation of the district hospitals’ ICU and CCU. The health department didn’t submit any new report today (Wednesday).”
Advocate Bashir Ahmed said, “The court summoned DG health to appear on January 8, 2020 for not complying court’s with earlier order.”
The High Court on March 7 this year directed the government body to file a list of the country’s all hospitals with Intensive Care Units (ICU) and Coronary Care Units (CCU) and submit the report in the court by April 24 which should have the number of manpower and specialists assigned to the ICUs and CCUs and the cost for setting up such units.