The causes of their deaths are unclear, but investigators say it may have been due to a gas leak

TDS Desk:

Six newborns have mysteriously died while undergoing treatment at Ad-din Medical College Hospital in Dhaka’s Moghbazar.

The tragic incident took place on Wednesday morning in the Post-Operative Ward-2 on the second floor of the hospital.

It is not yet clear why so many children were killed in quick succession, but police initially believe that the incident may have been caused by a gas leak or some mechanical fault.

The Directorate General of Health Services has already formed a three-member high-level investigation committee to uncover the causes of the deaths.

Ashraful Islam, the hospital’s assistant director, confirmed the deaths of the six newborns, saying the names of the mothers of the dead children are Najma (who had twins), Meem, Faria and Jannat.

In addition, a child of a man named Habibur has also died.

However, families claim that the death toll could still climb. Nurse Chandana, who is on duty at the hospital and was identified by a single name, told that two more newborns from the ward are admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in critical condition.

Mourning and Witness Accounts

On Wednesday morning, relatives were seen wailing in front of the hospital’s Post-Operative Ward-2. Masuka, an elderly woman from Munshiganj, sat with her dead 3-day-old granddaughter in her arms while her daughter-in-law Mim lay unconscious

Masuka said they had come to the hospital from Munshiganj in the hopes of getting good treatment.

She lamented, “It’s such a big hospital. I came hoping that they would take responsibility, whether things were good or bad. I didn’t think about money.”

Describing the horrific events from the morning, she said suddenly all the newborns in the ward screamed out and began crying together. She said, “I took her in my arms and prayed for her. Then I ate a little and went for Fajr prayers.”

As she was praying, her son rushed to her and told her of the death. Masuka said her granddaughter’s body had turned reddish at the time of the incident.

According to hospital sources, the newborns on the “right side” of the ward were the victims of this unknown incident.

However, the nurses on duty claim that all the babies were completely healthy and normal until the incident.

Hospital Director Nahid Yasmin said, “This is an OT post-delivery ward. Six babies were taken to the NICU around 6am.”

However, relatives of several patients have claimed that at least 11 newborns have died. They allege that many families had left the hospital with the bodies without learning the causes of their baby’s deaths and could later learn from the media that it was not a natural death.

CID and Health Directorate to Investigate

Soon after the incident, police and CID officials arrived at the hospital. Sheikh Jahidul Islam, deputy commissioner of police of Ramna Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), said: “What we know so far is that there were six children and all six died. The causes of the deaths is not yet known. Our CID expert team is present. They will conduct examinations and report.”

DGHS Director General Pravath Chandra Biswas, has visited the scene. He said a three-member investigation committee has been formed according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The committee includes the joint secretary of the ministry, the deputy director of the hospital wing of the Health Department, and another official of the department.

Prof Pravath said, “The investigation report will be available within the next 48 to 72 hours. Whether there was any fault in the medical management in that room of the hospital, whether there was an AC issue or any other technical fault – these are being investigated.”

In response to a question from the media, he further said: “We inspected the room and saw that there was a team of nurses there. If the child was sick, they would have been sent to the fifth-floor NICU.

“However, we feel that there is a weakness here. We will strictly investigate whether there was any negligence in providing services at that time in the morning. If negligence is proven, strict action will be taken against those concerned.”

Old Claims Against Mismanagement

Allegations of mismanagement and indifference towards patients against the Ad-din Hospital authorities are not new.

Businessmen and local residents adjacent to the hospital said they often hear complaints about the unsanitary environment and the rude behavior of doctors and nurses.

Ruhul Amin, a resident of the Mouchak area, said that his nephew was born in this hospital.

Expressing his anger, he told bdnews24.com: “Even us adults cannot tolerate the infestation of insects in the children’s ward. Even if we complain about them, they (the hospital’s management) don’t care.

“On the contrary, they behave rudely. Adults can tolerate a lot, but how can fragile children tolerate all this? I will never ask anyone to admit a child to this hospital.”