Bakery on Ad-Din hospital rooftop draws health minister's scrutiny
He also criticised the overall condition of the facility
Health Minister Sardar Sakhawat Hossain Bakul today (30 May) visited Ad-Din Hospital and Medical College in the capital as part of an investigation into the deaths of six newborns. During the inspection, he expressed concern after discovering a bakery operating on the rooftop of the medical college building.
The minister toured the hospital and its associated facilities around 5pm and inspected the bakery located on the roof of the medical college.
Speaking to reporters, Bakul said he had previously received reports about the existence of a bread factory within the hospital premises.
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"I had received a report that there is a bread factory inside the hospital. We will discuss these matters in detail later," he said.
The minister noted that two electric ovens were operating inside the bakery but no electrical engineer was present. "I found only a mechanical assistant there," he said.
He also criticised the overall condition of the facility.
"There is a large amount of garbage. Thousands of students, patients and attendants stay in this hospital, and such an environment is unacceptable. Whether due to a lack of inspections, intelligence failures or other reasons, these irregularities have persisted. We will monitor these issues closely from now on," he said.
Bakul said an expert team would be sent to the facility tomorrow (31 May) to determine whether the bakery could be producing harmful gases or substances that might pose health risks to infants.
"We observed stagnant water on the premises. The investigation will examine whether any gas or substance originating from the bakery or the stagnant water could have exceeded the tolerance levels of newborns," he said.
The minister added that officials detected an unusual odour inside a post-operative room during the visit.
"We have noticed a smell inside the post-operative room. This will also be examined. We expect to receive the investigation report within three days," he said.
