Outrageous act by hospital

It is outrageous that a private hospital in Chittagong would dispose the body of a newborn in the Chittagong City Corporation's garbage dumping ground last Tuesday. According to our report, one expectant mother was admitted to the port city's People's Hospital and went under C-section under the supervision of two gynaecologists. Although the woman was pregnant with twins, after the surgery, the doctors only brought a baby girl to the relatives of the patient, saying that her twin was dead. When they asked for the body of the other newborn, the hospital authorities said they disposed of the body in a dumpster.

The doctors, under whose supervision the babies were born, need to answer why the baby had died in the first place. It seems from the way the hospital authorities dealt with the whole incident that there was negligence and inefficiency on part of the doctors in delivering the babies. Otherwise, why would they hurriedly throw the baby's body in the garbage dump without even informing the patient's attendants? In any normal situation, isn't it natural for the doctors to give the dead body of the baby to the parents or attendants?

This incident has once again brought to light the grave professional negligence and misconduct of the doctors and staff of our private and public hospitals. Only last March, there was a similar incident in Comilla Medical College Hospital where doctors had split a newborn baby's head during a caesarean section operation and dumped the baby's body to hide their act. Such incidents are on the rise in the country as hardly any legal action is taken against these doctors and hospitals. In this specific case, the hospital authorities, the doctors and staff involved must be held accountable and punished according to law.