Ad-Din Hospital Patients Left in Limbo After License Cancellation
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Patients and their families at Ad-Din Hospital in Dhaka have been left in uncertainty after authorities cancelled the hospital’s license following allegations of negligence linked to the deaths of six newborns.
“What wrong have we done? Where do we go suddenly?” said Mohammad Tuhin, a relative of a patient admitted to the hospital.
His four-year-old child has been receiving treatment for measles and pneumonia for the past seven days. Like many others, he now faces uncertainty over continued care.
On Friday morning, several patients were seen leaving the hospital premises. Relatives said they were shifting patients due to fears over treatment continuity. The hospital stopped new admissions and fully suspended outpatient services. Staff members also expressed anger over the decision.
The situation has created a crisis at the facility, which is treating more than 400 admitted patients while also facing uncertainty over staff employment. The hospital authorities said they would appeal the government’s decision.
New controversy emerged after Supreme Court lawyer Shishir Manir, representing the hospital, claimed the license cancellation applied to a pathology center, not the hospital itself. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has not yet responded to the claim.
At the hospital on Friday afternoon, routine activity was absent. Only staff, patient attendants, and journalists were seen outside the gate as families left with luggage.
Some patients said they were shifting to other hospitals after admissions were halted. Others were discharged mid-treatment or advised to transfer based on their condition.
A patient from Shyamnagar in Satkhira said he was discharged after a recent cesarean procedure. “Doctors said I needed to stay a few more days, but last night they said I was stable enough to go home,” he said.
Hospital officials said critical patients in ICUs and post-operative units were being handled carefully before transfer decisions. Treatment for admitted patients continues, they added.
The hospital has not released updated patient numbers. Earlier, it said 416 patients were admitted, including 60 newborns in NICU, 20 in ICU, and four in CCU.
The crisis follows the deaths of six newborns on May 27 in the post-operative ward of Ad-Din Medical College Hospital in Moghbazar, which sparked nationwide concern over alleged negligence.
A DGHS probe later cited an “unbearable environment” in the ward and found evidence of negligence. Following the findings, authorities issued a show-cause notice and later cancelled the license after deeming the response unsatisfactory.
DGHS Director General Prof. Probhath Chandra Biswas said the decision was taken under the 1982 Medical Practice and Private Clinics and Laboratories Regulation Ordinance. The order allows the hospital to appeal within 30 days.
Hospital authorities said they will appeal and urged continued operations in the public interest until a final decision is made.
(Adapted from BBC Bangla)
