Ad-din newborn deaths: Inquiry deadline extended to Jun 3 to interview grieving mothers

It will take another couple of days to receive the final investigation report on the deaths of six newborns at the private Ad-din Medical College Hospital in Dhaka’s Moghbazar, Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain has said.

Speaking to journalists after inspecting the hospital on Saturday, the minister said: “We have held a meeting with the investigation committee and reviewed their observations.

“However, the committee has not yet been able to fully speak with all the mothers of the children who died in the incident. Therefore, they have requested more time.”

“We want a report that leaves no gaps. The statements of the mothers of the deceased children are absolutely vital for such a report. Since those mothers are currently outside Dhaka, it will take another two to three days. For this reason, the deadline for submitting the investigation report has been set for 3^rd of June,” he added.

When asked how the cause of death could be accurately determined without performing post-mortem examinations on the newborns, the minister said: “The parents of such young infants did not agree to conduct post-mortems. However, we will make our maximum efforts from all angles to uncover the real cause of death.”

On May 27, a day before Eid-ul-Azha, six newborns admitted to the post-operative ward of Ad-din Hospital suddenly fell ill and died one after another.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare formed a three-member investigation committee the following day, directing it to ascertain the causes behind the infant deaths and recommend preventive measures within three days.

Revealing that a “bakery factory” was found operating on an upper floor of the Ad-din Hospital building, Sakhawat Husain said: “Bread was being manufactured there using electric ovens. However, no electrical engineer was found on site.”

“Investigators will look into whether any gas was generated from this factory that exceeded the tolerance levels of the infants. An expert team will visit the hospital again tomorrow to thoroughly observe this setup,” he noted.

Commenting on the presence of the commercial bakery, the minister said: “In reality, thousands of students, patients, and their relatives are supposed to stay at a medical college hospital. A bakery factory should not exist in such a location. This happened due to a lack of inspection or intelligence on our part. These matters will be strictly monitored in the future.”

“A large volume of stagnant water was also found accumulated in another area here [the hospital]. It will be examined whether any substance or gas emitted from the water, the bakery factory, or these sources could have caused the infant deaths,” he added.

When questioned about the composition of the probe panel, Directorate General of Health Services Director General Prof Pravath Chandra Biswas said: “Currently, six members are working on the committee. Provisions were made during the initial formation of the committee to co-opt new members, allowing them to include necessary experts to assess the hospital’s environment, technical conditions, and all other aspects. That has been executed.”