Ad-din newborn death probe focuses on malpractice, technical errors, unusual smells

The deaths of six newborns at Dhaka’s Ad-Din Medical College Hospital the day before Eid-ul-Azha have triggered panic among patients and relatives, prompting a wave of departures as multiple authorities launch parallel investigations into what went wrong.

Police, the hospital's own investigation committee and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) have each launched investigations to uncover the truth behind the deaths.

Investigations Focus on 3 Aspects

Following the deaths, DGHS officials and members of its investigation committee visited the hospital. After working until late on Wednesday, three matters came into focus, officials said.

A top official of the DGHS, who did not want to be named, said the ward was located quite far inside the hospital. This could lead to different complications.

Though it is not possible to make decisive judgments right now, the investigation has started focusing on three issues -- medical mismanagement, technical errors and an unusual smell. The rest of the investigation report will be made available once it is submitted.

The official noted that when they entered the hospital ward there was an unusual smell at the scene.

Patients Flee Ad-Din

Relatives of several patients who were in the hospital on Thursday said they had previously heard many positive things about the hospital, but are scared after the tragedy that unfolded on Wednesday.

The ward where the deaths occurred has been locked.

A man identified only as Antor from Narsingdi said he had brought his sister to the hospital for her delivery and heard about the incident after their arrival.

He said they are “somewhat anxious”, but cannot move his sister due to her current condition.

DGHS Director General Prof Pravath Chandra Biswas said the committee formed to investigate the incident can add any necessary experts during their probe.

After the formation of the panel, the team was at the hospital until late on Wednesday night.

He was hopeful that the investigation report would be submitted within 72 hours.

Questions Linger

Hospital staff and patients’ families say uncertainty over the infants’ deaths is weighing on everyone’s minds.

Antor, who brought his sister for her delivery, said: "After I came here [on Wednesday], I saw two women crying on the balcony. Then I heard that their child had died. But I don't know why. Later I heard that the children died due to AC problems or a gas leak. Some say six people died, while others say 11 people died. I don't know for sure.”

He said, “I have already brought my sister here, so there's nothing I can do. But I'm scared. And it would be difficult to take her somewhere else. All in all, we are in a dilemma."

"Since I came, I’ve seen at least five patients we had come for their deliveries leave. Other than that, the atmosphere is fine. There are no problems."

Tahera Begum, a resident of Mirpur-11, came to the hospital for the delivery of her nephew’s wife.

He said, "My niece-in-law had an infant here before, so we brought her here once again. My niece-in-law had a normal delivery, so we will leave [on Thursday]."

The relative of another patient, who did not wish to be named, said they came to the hospital two days ago after getting positive references to it from different places, but Wednesday’s incident has left them scared.

A hospital employee, who did not wish to be named, said many patients have left since the incident, but added that the cause of the deaths is still unknown. While some people reported a smell resembling gas, the employee said this could not be confirmed.

The hospital’s Assistant Director Ashraful Islam said the hospital had formed an internal investigation committee to probe the matter.

He said all the details of an incident are not available immediately and added that the hospital, police and the DGHS are all working on the matter.

The truth of the incident will come to light when all the reports are submitted, Ashraful said.

However, he added that the ward had been used for children for a long time and no such incident had previously occurred.

“Even though there is a lot of talk about the AC issue, we repaired it a few days ago," he said.