IN a tragic turn of events, three newborn babies died at a private hospital in Dhaka early this week where they were hospitalized earlier. The physicians and hospital staff of Asian Cardiac Hospital have since been evading arrest. Doctors and Nurses dealing with infants in different neonatal intensive care units all over the world try to provide the best high quality care to newborns at high risks. But the three newborn babies’ deaths shows hospital facilities in our country are in criminal neglect of their safety.
News reports said the private hospital in question was run without government approval. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) confirmed the allegation saying even they did not have the permission to run a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the hospital. Its newborn unit has only one physician who also work on part-time basis and nurses mainly look after the treatment at most of the time. Parents of the deceased children claimed although the hospital has not enough doctors its signboards claimed it offers almost all kinds of intensive care services. More dismaying is that relatives of the victims were misled by brokers and in many cases some physicians of the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital referred them there.
It is quite disappointing that the government yet again failed to provide basic medical care to infants; least to speak of ailing masses. It has left the health care and safety of patients to the hands of rent-seekers and fraudulent medical practitioners often in illegally run clinics and hospital facilities. Even safety of newborn babies from neonatal units of DMCH is highly vulnerable as the incident of theft is often reported from the hospital. This along with negligence of doctors is endangering life of the newborn babies. Doctors in fact declared a newborn baby dead few months back at DMCH when the boy was alive and it goes to show the poor quality and inadequate inclusive services facilities at public hospitals today.
The sad truth is that the government itself is a victim of incompetence and mismanagement.
