Clinic holds patient over bill

A woman, who lost her newborn baby to “wrong treatment”, had to spend an additional 15 hours after being given a release order at a private clinic in Birganj upazila of Dinajpur, as the clinic authorities allegedly held her there for the hospital bill.

Police rescued the woman, Mukta Begum, 23, on Friday evening.

Talking to The Daily Star, Abdul Wahed, Mukta's husband, a day labourer, said that he came to Modern Clinic and Diagnostic Centre in Birganj town for his wife's check up, who was 8-months pregnant, on Wednesday afternoon.

Until then, there was no complication in the pregnancy, said Abdul.

A doctor called Sadequl Islam examined his wife on their arrival and told Abdul that Mukta needed an immediate surgery. However, the couple wasn't prepared for the surgery.

 “But they kept insisting,” said Shahed.

He managed to bring Tk 6,000 to buy the required medicines.

At around 8:00pm, the doctor conducted a C-section. After the surgery, the baby's condition wasn't well and the clinic authorities advised Abdul to take his newborn to M Abdur Rahim Medical College Hospital. He then hired an ambulance and rushed there. Abdul stayed alongside his baby where she was being treated, while Mukta remained in Modern Clinic.

The doctors declared the baby dead at around 12:30am on Thursday.

“The doctors of M Abdur Rahim Medical College Hospital were furious and asking who conducted the surgery and said the treatment was wrong,” said the father quoting the doctors from Dinajpur. 

After burying his baby early Thursday, Abdul returned home while Mukta was being treated at the clinic.

On Friday morning, Abdul went to the clinic and was handed Mukta's release order, but the clinic staff prevented him from seeing her and demanded Tk 8,500 in fees for the C-section.   

“They did not even allow me to go to my wife,” said Abdul.

Abdul could not arrange the money to pay the fees and so Mukta was held at the clinic for 15 hours after being given the release order

Unable to do anything, he shared his plight with locals near the clinic that evening and they immediately informed police.

By the time the police arrived at the clinic, all the staff members including the doctor had fled.

Police rescued Mukta and sent her and Shahed home, Akkas Ali, officer-in-charge of Birganj Police Station said.

The Daily Star tried to reach the clinic staff members, nurses and Sadequl Islam for their comment, but could not reach them over the phone.