Health Minister Sardar Sakhawat Hossain Bokul has announced that an additional team of experts will be sent to Ad-Din Hospital in Moghbazar to investigate the deaths of six newborns.
The expanded inquiry will focus on an unusual odour detected in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the quality of the hospital’s water, and the possible impact of a bakery operating on the hospital premises.
Following a visit to the facility on Saturday, the health minister said investigators are examining whether the on-site bakery, powered by two electric ovens and observed to have waste on-site, could be emitting any toxic gases or substances affecting the clinical environment.
“An unusual smell was found inside the hospital’s NICU,” he said, adding that water samples will also undergo testing.
The probe committee is recording statements from the mothers of the deceased infants to ensure a thorough investigation. While preliminary findings have been completed, the committee has been granted an additional two to three days to finalise the report, which is now expected by 3 June.
Minister Bokul described the incident as “extremely tragic,” and assured that the government will ensure no lapses occur in the investigation.
He noted that post-mortem examinations were not conducted due to lack of parental consent, and the inquiry is therefore proceeding based on environmental and medical assessments.
In a related development, Prabhat Chandra Biswas, Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), raised concerns over the legality of the bakery’s operations within the hospital building.
He stated that such a facility should not have approval to operate in a medical institution and confirmed that an inquiry will determine how the bakery obtained its authorisation.
