LATEST new reports clarify that the prematurely born baby declared dead at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) (who was found to be alive later) breathed his last yesterday and was buried at Azimpur graveyard. The baby’s relatives allege that if he had received proper treatment right after his birth, he might have survived according to reports. Further analysis showed that the baby weighed around 1.2kg at birth and was born with respiratory complications and in an obvious negligence of duty, DMCH doctors declared him dead Saturday morning when the baby was still alive (around three hours later during its burial the baby moved) without providing the baby with necessary assisted ventilation. This incident again raised serious questions about the way in which government doctors deal with poor patients. DMCH has already formed a four-member committee to probe the incident.
We have been seeing the horrifying reality of malpractice that has been prevalent in one of the top public hospitals in the country. This incident is eerily reminiscent of the woman who was declared dead by DMCH doctors and but was found to be alive in the morgue a few hours later. These incidents are proof that DMCH doctors and authorities are extremely negligent in carrying out their duties and have endangered lives on more than one occasion. Also in the past few months reports have been run where newborn babies have been stolen from the maternity ward on various occasions and sold as there was almost non-existent security in the hospital ward and hospital authorities blamed the lack of manpower. Only in one case the police rescued a stolen baby.
It is unbelievably unethical for the doctors to neglect their duty and harm patients and they should be held accountable for their actions (along with the hospital authorities who deny claims of malpractice and try to cover up). What is supposed to be the best national healthcare provider, DMCH, has become nothing but a nightmare for its patients and no one but the government is to blame for that. The government should hold the negligent doctors and authorities accountable for their actions and provide enough manpower and funds so that the hospital is fully functional. Proper doctors and nurses should be employed and the government must not shrug off its responsibility to choose efficient ones so that services can be delivered properly. It is high time the government own up to their responsibilities instead of being corrupt and ignoring the people’s pleas for help.
