Number of licensed health facilities 15,000, unlicensed over 1,000: DGHS

The number of unlicensed private hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centres and blood banks in the country is 1,027 while the number of such licensed health facilities across the country is 15,233.

The prosecution said this to the High Court Sunday quoting from a report sent by the Director General of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Earlier on 15 January, the HC bench of justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and justice Md Atabullah passed an order along with a ruling, asking the DGHS to submit the list of licensed and unlicensed health facilities across the country to the court within a month.

The court made the order while directing the health directorate to inquire into the cause of death of 5-year-old Ayan at United Medical College Hospital in the capital’s Satarkul in Badda and submit a report to the court within seven days.

A writ petition was filed regarding the death of the child following his circumcision at the United Medical College Hospital.

Following this, the matter came up for hearing on 28 January 28. On that day, the state, on behalf of the health directorate’s director general, informed the court that the investigation report regarding the death of Ayan had arrived.

On the other hand, the writ petitioner placed a supplementary application seeking directives to submit an inquiry report on how many deaths have occurred in United Hospital due to medical negligence in the last 15 years.

Hearing on this on 28 January, the High Court asked the DGHS director general to submit a report by three months on how many deaths have occurred in United Hospital due to medical negligence in the last 15 years.

On the next day, a four-member probe committee on finding the reason for Ayan’s death produced the report before the court.

The petitioner’s lawyer in the hearing said that day, “This is a manipulated report. We want further investigation.”

The court then asked him to file the speech as an affidavit at the court mentioning that the hearing will be included in the cause list for 11 February for orders.

In this context, the petition was heard in the court today.

Deputy attorney general Tushar Kanti Roy on behalf of the prosecution told the court that it has got the list of licensed and unlicensed health facilities across the country while writ petitioner’s lawyer ABM Shahjahan Akand sought for a short passover to submit their speech as an affidavit.

The court later fixed 18 February for the next hearing.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Tushar Kanti Roy said the report on licensed and unlicensed health facilities across the country, sent by the director general of health directorate has been received. Next hearing will be held on 18 February. By then the report will be produced before the court in the form of an affidavit.

Writ petitioner’s lawyer ABM Shahjahan Akand told Prothom Alo hearing will be held on Sunday on the petitioner’s speech regarding the investigation report on the death of Ayan.

The writ petition said the parents of 5-year-old Ayan took him to the United Medical College Hospital at Badda’s Satarkul for circumcision on 31 December. Anesthesia was given to the child around 9:00 am. However, it is alleged that the physicians circumcised Ayan with ‘full anaesthesia’ (general) without taking any permission from the guardian. Later, the child was sent to United Hospital in Gulshan as he did not regain consciousness.

He was kept at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) there. Later, physicians announced his death in the midnight of 7 January.

Different media carried reports in this regard.