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The Rapid Action Battalion has shut down another branch of Regent Hospital in Dhaka’s Mirpur on charges of issuing fake COVID-19 test reports, reports bdnews24.com.
The RAB has also launched a manhunt for the hospital’s chairman, Mohammad Shahed, in a case started over alleged irregularities, including the refusal to renew its licence despite reminders.
Following the shutdown of the hospital’s headquarters and a branch in Uttara, a RAB mobile court raided Regent Hospital’s Mirpur branch on Wednesday and sealed it off, RAB Executive Magistrate Sarwoer Alam told bdnews24.com.
The Directorate General of Health Services in a notice on Tuesday ordered the shutdown of the private hospital’s Mirpur and Uttara branches.
In a question about the allegations from victims, Alam said: “We will investigate and take legal action, if the victims make complaints to us. They can also make complaints to any other government agency.”
The hospital began treating COVID-19 patients in March after signing a deal with the government, but it had no permission to run RT-PCR tests for the coronavirus.
Citing media reports, the directorate said the hospital was “wrongfully” charging patients a hefty amount of money.
As many as 14 allegations of providing false COVID-19 test reports were brought against the private hospital so far. The reports were made using seals and pads of a government institution, but the RAB authorities said that those were not verified by RT-PCR tests at any state-own institution.
Following the findings, a RAB team started raids on Regent Hospital’s headquarters and Uttara branch on Monday and it continued until Tuesday. The authorities recovered some unauthorised test kits and false test reports during raids.