Ad-din hospital licence revocation was not a mistake: Health minister
Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain urged doctors to listen attentively to patients and treat them with empathy.
Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain said that he sees no mistake in the decision to revoke Ad-din hospital's licence in the capital.
"We first revoked the licence. I believe I did not make any mistakes. Six children cannot be allowed to die due to negligence while the authorities remain at ease. That cannot happen," he said.
The minister made the remarks today (15 June) while speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of the Clinical Management Guideline on Measles Treatment at Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College hospital in the capital, stressing the need to ensure accountability and discipline across the country's healthcare sector.
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He said, "No hospital or healthcare institution can evade responsibility when patients lose their lives due to negligence. We need to bring about some changes in this country. Those changes must begin from within ourselves."
Addressing physicians at the event, the minister said, "Medicine is a humane and noble profession. Ensuring quality healthcare is impossible without responsibility, compassion, and adherence to ethical standards."
Sakhawat urged doctors to listen attentively to patients and treat them with empathy.
Referring to various recent challenges in the health sector, the minister said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the country's doctors and nurses demonstrated remarkable courage and professionalism.
"Owing to their contributions, Bangladesh was able to maintain a comparatively lower mortality rate", he said.
He also cautioned about the dengue situation, stressing the need for physicians' support in both disease prevention and treatment.
"The government is working to improve the healthcare sector and has allocated 1.02% of GDP, approximately Tk69,000 crore, to the health sector in the current fiscal year's budget, " he added.
Regarding the Ad-din hospital incident, the minister said it was essential to investigate the deaths of six newborns and determine accountability.
He alleged that the infants had been kept in an enclosed room with inadequate ventilation and insufficient supervision, while no doctor or physician was present for an extended period.
"Necessary measures are being taken after examining these issues", he added.
