A probe committee has found negligence of duty on the part of five doctors at the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH) in taking care and protecting instruments and medical equipment, including the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The accused doctors are Dr AMM Shariful Alam, Professor Dr Obaidullah Baki, Dr Moarraf Hossain, Dr Manosh Kumar Bashu, and Dr Farhad Halim.
The High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Md Mustafizur Rahman expressed disappointment with the probe report submitted to it on Sunday, as it made no recommendation of action against the doctors.
The court also asked the probe committee to submit the full report within a week, delineating the action to be taken in this regard.
The High Court bench issued the order after the probe committee led by Md Sirajul Islam, additional secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, submitted the report to the High Court as per its earlier directive.
On January 3, the High Court bench issued a suo moto ruling asking the authorities concerned to explain why the negligence at the NICRH should not be declared illegal.
The court also directed the government to defer the retirement provisions of the outgoing director of NICRH Prof Dr Md Mosharraf Hossain for negligence in preserving and protecting equipment, including that of the ICU at the hospital, until a court clearance.
The court also ordered the health secretary and director general of the Directorate of Health Services (DGHS) to form a committee for an enquiry into the allegations of negligence against NICRH authorities in purchasing and preserving medical devices and equipment for the cancer hospital.
They were instructed to submit a probe report within 30 days.
The High Court bench passed the order while two lawyers, Barrister Monoj Kumar Bhoumik and Md Emdadul Haque, brought a newspaper report, ''ICU in sickbed,'' to the bench’s notice.
According to the report, 12 years ago the hospital authorities bought eight modern artificial respiratory ventilator (ARV) machines. However, none of the medical devices or instruments —costing the government exchequer Tk70 lakh for each machine — were being used for any purpose.
Rampant corruption and irregularities became more apparent when the central oxygen supply system was installed some three years ago, though the ventilators were not installed.
Following years of neglect, the motherboards of the ventilators had been stolen, rendering them completely useless.
As a consequence, the cancer hospital's all important Intensive Care Unit has no artificial ventilation for critical patients.
The report says a lot of medical equipment has remained unutilized at the hospital, as in the case of the ARV machines. Two arterial blood gas analyzers, an aphaeresis (cell separator) machine, and four bronchoscope machines have been lying virtually abandoned in the hospital.
