Punishment if wrong treatment proven: Health minister
The perpetrators will be brought to book if any evidence of wrong treatment or negligence in providing treatment is found, said Health and Family Welfare Minister Samanta Lal Sen on Tuesday.
He also warned that any organisation without any license will not be allowed to provide medical care in the country.
At a stage of the event, the father and a few other relatives of Ayan, a child who died after circumcision at the United Medical College Hospital in Badda’s Satarkul in the capital a few days ago, entered the auditorium.
The minister said this while exchanging views with Bangladesh Health Reporters’ Forum at the ministry’s auditorium in the afternoon.
At a stage of the event, the father and a few other relatives of Ayan, a child who died after circumcision at the United Medical College Hospital in Badda’s Satarkul in the capital a few days ago, entered the auditorium.
They described what happened during the circumcision of Ayan and afterwards. They also demanded justice for the death of Ayan.
Samanta Lal Sen listened to them.
He told Ayan’s father and the newspersons, “I know this pain. I promise action will be taken if there is any negligence in the medical treatment.”
Secretaries of two divisions of the ministry and director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) were also present at the meeting.
I have seen people’s sufferings closely. I won’t forget those. I’ll try hard to manage the hospital bed for every patient. This is possible if everyone helps cordially
Addressing the meeting, the health minister stated , “I have seen people’s sufferings closely. I won’t forget those. I’ll try hard to manage the hospital bed for every patient. This is possible if everyone helps cordially.”
The newspersons highlighted several problems and challenges in the health sector and the ministry to the newly appointed minister.
Those include substandard medical education, rise in medical expenses, weakness in pathological tests, lack of any law on medical treatment, stopping the government’s production of saline, dearth of quality research on health and medical care in the government sector, physician leaders pressure on the health ministry, lack of coordination in medical care in cities and villages and dengue outbreak and so on.
Asked about the toughest challenge, Samanta Lal Sen, former coordinator at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn & Plastic Surgery, said, “People have a high expectation of the health (ministry). Meeting this expectation is the toughest challenge.”
Speaking at the programme, health services division secretary Jahangir Alam said the government has completed collecting Covid-19 vaccine through vaccine alliance, GAVI. This will be administered from April. Around 25 million people will be given the fourth dose of the Covid vaccine in 2024 and 2025, he added.