Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Thursday directed the government to suspend the leave preparatory to retirement facilities of the outgoing director of the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH), Prof. Dr Md Moarraf Hossen, till disposal of a rule issued over the negligence in preserving and utilizing of the equipment of the hospital.
The court, however, issued a rule in this regard.
In the rule, the HC wanted to know from the concerned bodies of the government to explain in four weeks as to why their negligence in installing, preserving and proper utilizing of eight high-end ventilators purchased for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the NICRH should not be declared illegal.
Besides, the court asked the health secretary and the director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to form a committee to conduct an enquiry into the allegations of negligence of NICRH authorities in purchasing and preserving the treatment equipment for the hospital.
The committee has been asked to submit a probe report in this regard before HC in 30 days.
The High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Jutice Md Mostafizur Rahman passed the order as a Suo Moto move considering a news report published in an English daily yesterday (Thursday).
Barrister Monoj Kumar Bhoumik, a Supreme Court lawyer, brought the news cutting to the attention of the court. Prof. Dr Md Moarraf Hossen went on leave preparatory to retirement on last Saturday (December 29, 2019), said Barrister Monoj Kumar Bhoumik.
The lawyer also said, “This news was largely related to the public interest. After purchasing the expensive equipment, the NICRH authorities had abandoned them for years without proper installation. In addition to economic loss, people were deprived of proper treatment due to this negligence.”
“This is a clear negligence to the right of the people to be protected by the Constitution. That is why I brought the news cutting to the attention of the court. The court passed order after hearing,” the lawyer added.
The report said, “More than 12 years ago, the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital authorities had purchased eight high-end ventilators for its Intensive Care Unit. But the Artificial Respiratory Ventilators (ARVs), the basic device required for running an ICU properly, had never been installed, depriving the critical patients of the medical services they are supposed to get at ICU.”
