State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief M Iqbal Hossain on Wednesday said an investigation is underway into the fire at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital and steps will be taken to address the hospital’s existing problems after receiving the probe report.
“An investigation into the fire was underway and details would be known after getting the probe report. Steps would be taken in the future to address the hospital’s existing problems,” he said while visiting the hospital on Wednesday morning.
Upon arriving at the hospital, the state minister held a meeting in the conference room.
The management committee chairman and vice-chairman of the hospital were briefed about the hospital’s overall activities, problems and various challenges.
Hospital Management Committee Vice-Chairman and Mymensingh Sadar MP Abu Wahab Akanda, Deputy Director of the hospital Dr Md Zakiul Islam, President of District Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) Dr Mohammad Ali Siddiqui and Fire Service Deputy Director Purnachandra Mutsuddi, among others, were present during the visit.
Responding to a question, Abu Wahab Akanda said no one died after being trampled during the fire incident. He said those who died had died of natural causes.
Meanwhile, the hospital authorities have reconstituted the investigation committee formed to probe the fire.
The previous five-member committee was dissolved and a new six-member committee was formed with Professor Dr Golam Rahman Bhuiyan of the Department of Medicine as its head and Assistant Director Dr Main Uddin Khan as member-secretary.
Deputy Director of the hospital, Dr Zakiul said a five-member committee had initially been formed on the night of the incident. It was later dissolved and a six-member committee was reconstituted on Wednesday, dropping two members of the previous committee and adding two new members.
The other members of the new committee are Associate Professor Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun of the Department of Surgery at Mymensingh Medical College, Dental Surgeon Dr Khandaker Muhammad Anwar Hossain, Executive Engineer of the Electricity Department Subrata Roy and Fire Service Deputy Director Purnachandra Mutsuddi.
The committee has been asked to submit its report within three working days, identifying the cause of the fire.
It also asked to determine whether there was any negligence on the part of the authorities and assessing the damage caused by the fire.
Earlier on Monday, six people were killed when a fire orginated from a lift in the hospital’s new building broke out around 5:45pm.