They also lack sufficient doctors with requisite expertise and nurses to provide proper care for patients.
As a result, the number of accidental deaths of Narayanganj residents due to wrong treatment or negligence by doctors and the authorities of private hospitals and clinics has been rising in recent times.
For commercial concerns, the doctors of some private hospitals and clinics do not want to refer patients to other hospitals even when they lack the facilities for their treatment.
Though a few cases have been filed in this regard, most of the guilty people manage to avoid censure using their connections with influential persons.
On October 23, Choya Moni, daughter of Kamrul Islam, a resident of Bhobonathpur village in Sonargong upazila, died after being treated at a local clinic named ‘Natun Sheba’. Relatives and local claimed that due to wrong treatment, Choya died.
On October 9, Tahmina Khan, a seven month pregnant woman, wife of Ibrahim Kazi, a resident of Siddhirganj under the Signboard area, died at Pro-active Medical College Hospital due to negligence of duty doctor, claimed her relatives.
Tahmina felt ill at noon on that day. Then she was then taken to the hospital where a doctor instructed nurses to push an injection to her. After that her condition deteriorated leading to her death.
Being agitated at this incident locals and relatives of the victim vandalized the hospital. Later, on information, police went to the hospital and brought the situation under control.
No case was filed in this connection as the matter was ‘resolved’ through a local influential person overnight.
On September 29, a woman and her unborn baby died allegedly due to wrong treatment at New Popular Hospital, a private hospital, in Fatullah of the district. However, the doctor under whom the surgery was conducted blamed the patient's husband for the deaths.
Afterwards, relatives of the dead-- ShilpiAkter, 32, wife of AlamgirHossain of Delpara area in PurbaFatullah-- ransacked the hospital. Police detained the hospital's four owners, a doctor and a nurse over the incident.
Quoting husband Alamgir, Sub-Inspector (SI) of Fatullah Police Station DidarulAlam said Shilpi Akter was around five months pregnant at the time of her death. She began feeling unwell on September 28 afternoon and was brought to the hospital where she was examined by Dr Jessica RizviT amanna. She was then admitted to the hospital.
Alamgir claimed that the next morning, hospital authorities told Alamgir that his wife needed to have a c-section and that he needed to bring the required blood by the next day’s morning.
However, the doctors decided to go ahead with the operation the same day without getting the blood or the family's consent. Both mother and child died after the operation.
UNB tried to contact district civil surgeon Dr. Ehsanul Haque several times in this regard, but failed to elicit any response.