'Sasthya Sheba Surokkha Andolon' begins journey to assist victims of medical negligence

Expressing deep concern over the growing incidents of medical negligence, wrong treatments and harassment in the healthcare sector, a new civic initiative named the 'Sasthya Sheba Surokkha Andolon' has been officially launched.

The platform was formally announced at a discussion event held at the National Press Club on Saturday, following a press conference.

The primary objective of this new movement is to establish a transparent, accountable and humane healthcare system where victims of medical negligence can easily access justice and where the safety and rights of patients are prioritised.

During the event, several victims and family members shared harrowing personal accounts of losing loved ones due to alleged medical negligence and systemic error.

Among them, one victim’s father spoke about how his 17-year-old daughter was prescribed massive, unmonitored doses of antidepressants by a psychiatrist, leading to severe suicidal tendencies and eventually her tragic death. He described spending six grueling months writing an application to the BMDC without legal help, fighting a three-year battle that ultimately resulted in the temporary cancellation of the psychiatrist's registration, questioning how families can navigate such complex systems while dealing with profound grief.

Niveen Reza, coordinator of the platform and sister of Raahib Reza—who died allegedly due to cardiac arrest while undergoing an endoscopy at Labaid Hospital on February 19 last year—shared that her brother suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy and sleep apnea, yet was administered propofol sedation for an endoscopy without adequate monitoring or a "Code Blue" announcement during cardiac arrest. She highlighted the trauma families face in gathering medical records, navigating legal terminology, and dealing with institutional resistance.

Organiders of the platform stated that the movement is not against doctors or hospitals, but rather against the lack of accountability, negligence, and the absence of a proper grievance-redressal mechanism.

Mazharul Islam Jibon, member secretary of the platform, said the platform’s aim is to provide legal, informational and practical support to victims of medical negligence to help them secure justice; to establish a case-tracking system to monitor complaints; to raise public awareness and build strong public opinion regarding patient rights, safety, and dignity and to work closely with legal experts and long-term advocates toward the finalisation and enactment of a comprehensive Health Service and Protection Act.

Speakers at the event emphasized that filing a complaint should not mean facing harassment or uncertainty, calling for an end to institutional protectionism and demanding that when medical errors occur, they must be transparently investigated to prevent future tragedies.

Barrister Rashna Imam, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, addressed the systemic gaps in the sector and the necessity of structural cooperation.

"Accountability in the healthcare sector is virtually non-existent," she stated, pointing out that recent surveys indicate one in three people fall victim to medical negligence while noting that there is no specific law to properly regulate it.

Addressing resource constraints, she acknowledged that while large private hospitals have no excuse for lacking basic equipment, smaller clinics and public hospitals often struggle with a lack of minimum resources, meaning that when a doctor is forced to treat patients without basic equipment, not every death is necessarily due to negligence.

She also informed that a government-formed committee is currently drafting a comprehensive new law on health service protection, on which she is serving as a member. "We are trying to build an effective legal infrastructure. But we cannot do this by leaving doctors and hospital owners behind. We must take them along this journey. We want to strike a balance between protecting patients' rights and ensuring a secure environment for medical professionals, because we do not want this to become adversarial."

Barrister Sara Hossain also commended the victims for their courage in speaking out, noting that while legal remedies exist such as approaching the BMDC, the DGHS, or the courts the processes are often opaque, arduous and inaccessible to ordinary citizens.

Stating the importance of constitutional rights to life and equality, she suggested that the movement should look into systemic structural changes, such as introducing mandatory professional liability insurance for doctors to ensure compensation mechanisms for victims of medical accidents.

Writer and researcher Altaf Parvez said that the citizens in Bangladesh are trapped in a multi-sectoral death trap, whether in food, education, or healthcare. He strongly criticised the recent handling of the tragic measles outbreak among children, where hundreds of lives were lost due to delayed vaccination campaigns and structural negligence, calling for independent judicial investigations and accountability for systematic failures, and warning that without a strong, organised community voice, accountability in vital sectors can never be achieved.