United Hospital sued over May 27 fire
A case has been filed against the United Hospital authorities and some staffers over the May 27 fire that killed five patients at the hospital's corona isolation unit.
Ronald Ricky Gomez, son-in-law of Vernon Anthony Paul, one of the five patients, filed the case with Gulshan Police Station on Wednesday night, said SM Kamruzzaman, officer-in-charge of the police station.
Without mentioning any name, the plaintiff charged the hospital's chairman, chief executive officer, directors, doctors, nurses and other staffers with negligence and disregard in their duties, showed the First Information Report (FIR).
Police are looking into the allegations, the OC said, adding that none was arrested so far in the case.
Contacted, Dr Shagufta Anwar, director of communication and business development at United Hospital, said, "Our legal counsels are working on this."
In the case statement, Ronald alleged that the hospital authorities did not take any step to evacuate the patients from their isolation unit when it caught fire.
He also alleged that the door to the patients' room was locked. In fact, there was no fire extinguisher in the makeshift isolation unit located outside the main building of the hospital or even at the security guard's room.
Ronald also mentioned that Vernon, who was suffering from a brain stroke and obtained a Covid-19 negative report, had to be admitted to the corona isolation unit on May 25.
The hospital authorities conducted a second test for coronavirus on him. The family came to know of the corona negative result orally around 4:00 pm on May 27. But doctors refused to shift him to the main building without a hard copy of the test result, he described in the statement.
Meanwhile, the fire in the isolation unit broke out around 9:30 pm and killed the five patients including Vernon.
The following day a four-member committee was formed by the Fire Service and Civil Defence authorities to investigate the fire.
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