What could be more unfortunate than to have tested positive for Covid-19 and then to be injured or killed by a fire at the hospital where you were seeking treatment?
That is exactly what happened on May 27, when a fire broke out at the makeshift coronavirus isolation unit at Dhaka’s United Hospital, leading to the loss of at least five lives.
Our hearts go out to the families of the victims, whose lives were taken in a hospital of all places, where people feel safe and protected, where these people had gone to get better.
What we must do now is ensure that such a tragedy is not allowed to take place again.
Bangladesh has had an issue with safety for the longest time, especially with the preponderance of fires which continuously wreak havoc on people’s lives, and one cannot help but consider this latest tragedy as the latest one amongst a series of such incidents which caused Bangladeshi citizens great pain and suffering.
This is proven by the fact that these isolation units did not have enough firefighting equipment -- another instance of negligence in line with mistakes we have made in the past.
As of now, there is no clear indication what caused the fire, but it is commendable that an investigation committee has been formed to get to the bottom of this.
We ask that the authorities do everything in their power to understand the cause and punish those responsible if there is any indication of negligence.
