Staff Reporter :
The Appellate Division stayed eight of 11-directive given by the High Court on Monday to ensure the treatment of COVID and non-COVID patients by government and private hospitals.
One of the eight directives said that the denial of treatment by government and private hospitals or clinics resulting in the death of the patient would constitute a criminal offence.
The High Court had also asked the government to bring people responsible for such death to book considering it as death caused by negligence.
Chamber judge Justice Md Nuruzzaman on Tuesday stayed the directives after hearing in online an appeal filed by the government.
Attorney general Mahbubey Alam and additional attorney general Murad Reza prayed for staying all 11-directive stating that no doctor would provide treatment knowing that they could be prosecuted for the crime of negligence resulting in death of patients.
The chamber judge, however, upheld the High Court’s three directives-one of which asked the health secretary and the health services director general to submit report to it by June 30 whether their directives to give treatment to both COVID-19 and general patients were being followed by both government and private hospitals with 50 beds or above.
The other directives upheld include the commerce ministry and Consumers Association of Bangladesh would fix the prices of oxygen cylinders and their refilling and ensure the display of the price chart at the shops.
The directive also banned the sale of oxygen cylinders without prescriptions and identification of the patients to avoid any artificial crisis.
The third directive upheld include strengthening monitoring by health secretary and the director general of the health services to prevent private hospitals or clinics from imposing excessive bills for treating COVID 19 patients.
The online bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim had issued 11 directives after hearing five writ petitions filed as public interest litigations by several Supreme Court lawyers and right organisations.
