The three-member probe body have arrived at Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital to investigate the “unusual” deaths in the hospital in a single day.
The team led by Joint Secretary (hospitals) Mosharraf Hossain arrived there at 12 noon on Wednesday, a day after it was formed to investigate the matter.
The committee members sat in a meeting with the hospital's Director Brigadier General (Dr) Md Abdus Sabur Miah soon after their arrival.
Later, the three-member body visited children's ward, where 10 children, including five newborns have died in 24 hours.
Within only a span of 24 hours, at least 32 people including ten children have died at the hospital – a number that doctors themselves admitted was “unusual” for a single day.
The relatives of the deceased blamed the “negligence” of the doctors for the deaths; but the hospital authority said all of the deaths since Monday morning were natural – with many of the fatalities being caused by chronic life-threatening conditions.
Many of the family members of the deceased children claimed that it was either wrong treatment or the negligence of the doctors that had caused the deaths.
However, the hospital’s Deputy Director Dr Abdus Salam claimed that since 8am Monday ten children had died from natural reasons including postnatal attack, bronchopneumonia, neonatal sepsis and intestinal obstruction.
During January, a total of 433 patients including 62 children died at the hospital – averaging a little over 14 deaths a day, the hospital deputy director said.
To make sure there was no negligence involved in the children’s deaths, the hospital authorities also formed a six-member probe committee, headed by the hospital’s chief of medicine Dr Ismail Patwari.
The committee has been asked to submit its report within seven working days.
