Regent Group head office, hospital sealed off

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) sealed off the head office of Regent Group and its hospital in the city’s Uttara after they were found issuing fake COVID-19 test certificates and collecting money from COVID-19 patients.

A mobile court of the elite force led by executive magistrate Sarwar Alam conducted drives at the head office of the group and the Uttara branch of its hospital separately on Tuesday afternoon before sealing them off, senior ASP Sujoy Sarker, deputy director (media) of the RAB headquarters, told UNB .

A case would be filed with Uttara West Police Station in connection with the allegations of providing fake COVID-19 test certificate as well as other irregularities, he said.

Earlier on Monday, the Rab mobile court led by Executive Magistrate Sarwar Alam conducted raids at the Uttara and Mirpur branches of Regent Hospital on several allegations, including issuing fake COVID-19 certificates and charging excessive fees for the treatment of the virus infected patients, and arrested eight people.

Regent Hospital was one of the few private hospitals permitted to provide COVID-19 treatment since March, under an agreement with the Directorate General of Health Services that treatment would be free, unlike some other private hospitals that were let into the process later.

The chairman of Regent Group is Md Shahid, also a member of ruling party Awami League’s international affairs sub-committee.

Despite the agreement, the hospital was charging patients as well as submitting vouchers to the government claiming patients were being treated for free. Besides, the hospital’s registration expired in 2014, but it was still allowed to treat COVID-19 patients.