Medical practitioners have called off their protest as two doctors from Dhaka's Central Hospital were granted bail in a case lodged over the deaths of a newborn and mother due to alleged negligence and wrong treatment.
Private chamber consultations and surgeries will resume on Tuesday, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Director General and Society of Surgeons of Bangladesh (SOSB) President Prof Dr Abul Bashar Mohammed Khurshid Alam announced at a meeting at the Dhaka Medical College conference room.
"You are aware of our ongoing protest against the arrest of two of our doctors. We just received news that Dr Shahzadi and Dr Muna Shaha have been granted bail. Given this development, we have decided to suspend our current protest. Simultaneously, all doctors across the country will begin their private chamber consultations and surgeries starting today," he said.
The DGHS director general also mentioned that they have decided to file a writ in the High Court to ensure the safety and security of doctors at work.
“We are also proposing the swift passage of a health care and safety act," he added.
All doctors suspended personal consultations and surgeries on Monday and Tuesday in response to the arrest of Dr Shahzadi and Dr Muna Shaha.
They were arrested after Yakub Ali, husband of Mahbuba Rahman Akhi, lodged a case at Dhanmondi police station on June 14, blaming their negligence for the death of his wife and newborn child.
Mahbuba Rahman Akhi, who was expecting her first child, had been under the treatment of Professor Dr Sangjukta Saha at Central Hospital and was admitted to the hospital on June 9 as she went into labour.
Though Prof Saha was not present at the hospital at the time, the hospital authorities allegedly bluffed the patient's family, saying she was in the hospital and would operate on Akhi.
When attempts at a natural birth failed, an emergency c-section was performed, resulting in the birth of a child who died the following day.
The Central Hospital authorities suggested her husband Yakub Ali shift Akhi to another hospital; thus, Akhi was admitted into Labaid.
Mahbuba Rahman Akhi passed away on June 11 at the cardiac care unit (CCU) of Labaid Hospital.
