A legal notice has been served seeking departmental and criminal action against those responsible for the deaths and illnesses of six newborns at the maternity and neonatal ward of Ad-Din Medical College Hospital in Moghbazar.
The notice also called for compensation for the affected families and urged authorities to ensure emergency safety measures in maternity and neonatal wards at hospitals across the country.
The notice was sent to the secretary of the Health Services Division, the director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the DGHS director (Hospitals and Clinics), and the director of Ad-Din Medical College Hospital.
Supreme Court lawyer Ishrat Hasan confirmed the matter on Saturday. She had previously sent the notice on May 29.
According to the notice, the recent deaths and illnesses of several newborns at Ad-Din Hospital have sparked widespread concern, grief, and outrage across the country.
Citing media reports and accounts from parents, the notice said several newborns who were delivered late at night suddenly became critically ill, exhibiting symptoms including persistent crying, vomiting, breathing difficulties, and rapid deterioration of their physical condition. Some mothers also reportedly fell ill.
The notice alleged that despite the critical situation, adequate emergency treatment, round-the-clock monitoring, and immediate medical support were not ensured. It also claimed that the presence and responsiveness of the responsible medical staff were inadequate and that there was a delay in transferring critically ill newborns to advanced healthcare facilities.
As a result, several newborns died, causing shock among the affected families and the wider public, the notice said.
It further stated that the incident exposed serious weaknesses in patient safety, emergency medical response systems, monitoring mechanisms, and overall healthcare management in maternity and neonatal wards.
The notice outlined four demands:
- Identification of those responsible and initiation of departmental and criminal proceedings against them;
- Appropriate compensation for the affected families;
- Formulation and implementation of guidelines and protocols to ensure emergency medical response, patient safety, and round-the-clock monitoring in maternity and neonatal wards of all government and private hospitals;
- Establishment of an effective monitoring mechanism or committee to regularly oversee hospital safety, emergency response, service quality, and overall healthcare delivery.
The recipients have been asked to inform the public of the steps taken within 72 hours.
