Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain has said the government made no mistake in revoking the licence of Ad-din Hospital following the deaths of six newborn babies.
He made the remarks on Tuesday morning while speaking at the inauguration of the Measles Treatment Protocol Clinical Management Guidelines at Holy Family Red Crescent Hospital in Dhaka.
Describing the circumstances of the incident, the minister said the hospital’s post-operative ward was a “closed room” without windows, where the air conditioning system had been switched off.
“Six children died in that closed room. No one from the hospital authorities even visited the ward. It is unthinkable. There was no oxygen there, while 16 to 17 people were producing carbon dioxide. How long can anyone survive there?” he said.
He further said that during the incident, a nurse took one distressed newborn outside the room.
“As soon as the baby was taken outside, it recovered. But then it was brought back into the same room. Why? At that moment, they should have realised there was a problem and taken the other babies out as well. They did not do that,” he added.
Raising the issue of accountability, Sakhawat defended the government’s action.
“We have cancelled their licence. They killed six babies through carelessness and are now pointing fingers at the authorities. I do not think I have made a mistake,” he said.
The minister also clarified that the licence of the Moghbazar branch of Ad-din Hospital, including its pathology services, has been cancelled, although other branches of the hospital are allowed to continue operations.
Six newborns died within hours on 27 May in the hospital’s post-operative ward. Following the incident, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) formed a three-member high-level investigation committee.
The committee’s report identified multiple lapses in hospital management, environmental conditions, and negligence by doctors and nurses on duty.
According to the findings, the ward was not suitable for newborns or post-operative patients due to poor lighting, inadequate ventilation and an irregular air-conditioning system.
The investigation also revealed that no doctor was present in the ward at the time of the incident, resulting in a failure to provide timely medical attention as the newborns’ conditions deteriorated.
