The investigation report into the deaths of six newborns at the Ad-din Hospital in the capital’s Magbazar will not be submitted on Saturday.
Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain told Prothom Alo that the six newborns’ mothers would be spoken to before the report is released, and that it would be submitted on June 3 after those conversations.
On Wednesday morning, six newborns being treated in the hospital’s post-operative delivery ward died. The newborns were aged between one and three days, and the incident sparked nationwide discussion. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare formed a three-member committee to investigate. On Friday, Directorate General of Health Services Additional Director General (Administration) Professor Md Zahid Raihan had said the report would be given on Saturday.
But the minister said on Saturday that the report would be given after speaking with the mothers of the six newborns. “The children’s mothers are in various areas. Their accounts will be heard, and then these matters will remain part of the investigation,” he said.
The minister declined to comment on what the investigation has found so far. “Six babies died at once. You can understand what the investigation will find. The babies did not die of a hyper syndrome. We have all the evidence and all the explanations, but I will not state the gist. Let me see the mothers’ statements; if anything is added, I will put it all together and speak later. The report will be given on June 3.”
Police have questioned several officials and staff at various levels of the hospital over the deaths, but no one has been detained. The cause of the deaths has not yet been confirmed, and the investigation is ongoing. The case is being investigated by Ramna police station Inspector (Investigation) Ashik Iqbal, who said several doctors, nurses and staff had been spoken to as eyewitnesses, but no one had yet been detained or arrested.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report