A NATIONAL daily reported that two patients died in separate hospitals in Chattogram city due to negligence in treatment on Tuesday. The allegations come two days after similar allegations were raised following the death of three-year-old Raifa in a private hospital in the Port City.
On Tuesday, Lokman Chowdhury, 75, of Changaon area died at AFC Fortis Hospital and Lovely Akter, 24 of Hathazari upazila died at Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH). Lokman’s son said his father, who was suffering from respiratory problem, died on Tuesday night minutes after his oxygen mask was taken off. A consultant had ordered nurse at CCU to remove the musk. When the patient was feeling discomfort the duty doctors requested the consultant to put the mask back on, but the consultant said he wanted to observe some more. Soon, the monitor showed zero oxygen level and then the consultant asked the duty doctors to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and started to leave. As the consultant left the hospital with police protection, the hospital authority declared the patient dead.
In another incident, Lovely Akter died on Tuesday during a C-section surgery at CMCH. Her family members said, doctors asked them to collect blood before operation. The blood was collected in due time but the doctors didn’t operate on time and left her in the bed. Last of all, Rafia’s death at Max Hospital has sparked widespread protest in Chattogram where local journalist community extended their support also demanding exemplary punishment to the doctors.
According to information available, at least 477 patients died allegedly because of medical negligence in eight years till 2016 while the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council punished only three doctors with suspension of registration on such charges in the past 38 years. Ain o Salish Kendra in a report said 517 people either died or had severe physical complications because of alleged negligence of doctors during treatment between October 2008 and February 2016. The figure was almost the same between June 1995 and September, 2008. In a word, the situation is simply horrible.
Allegations against doctors and hospital authorities are old enough to ensure punishment. We must say, medical negligence is a clear violation of patient’s right. The authority also must ensure compensation to the victims deprived by the doctors.
