Staff Reporter :
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Tuesday mostly stayed a High Court order that said if any government or private hospital or clinic shows any medical negligence to any serious patient and if the patient then dies it would be considered as a criminal offence for ‘death due to negligence’
Chamber Judge Md Nuruzzaman passed the order after holding a virtual hearing on a petition filed by additional attorney general Murad Reza seeking stay on the High Court order.
Following five writ petitions, the High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim on Monday passed 11-points instructions and observations for the government and private hospitals and clinics. But the Appellate Division upheld only three directives of the HC order. One of the directives asked the health directorate to monitor the treatment procedures so that the private hospitals and clinics could not realize irrational fees from the patients admitted in the ICUs.
Another one asked the commerce ministry and the national consumers rights protection department to monitor the demand and supply and selling system of the oxygen cylinders in the markets and to fix up the MRP of oxygen cylinders and refueling of those.
And the third one sought a report from the health secretary and health directorate within June 30 whether all the government and private hospitals and clinics were following the health guidelines to give treatment equally to the Covid-19 and non-Covid patients.
And what steps have been taken against those hospitals and clinics that could not abide by the guidelines should be mentioned in the report.
