Human chain demands punishment for 'negligent' medical staff

Colleagues, friends and family members of a Chittagong University teacher formed a human chain before Chittagong Press Club yesterday, demanding punishment for doctors and staff members of Alif Hospital in Hathazari over the death of a newborn on June 9.

Later, at a press conference at the press club, they alleged that police have been delaying the probe and also OC Belal Uddin Jahangir of Hathazari Police Station was “putting pressure” on the family to resolve the matter through negotiation.

CU Assistant Professor Mohammad Shahidul Alam, also father of the newborn, blamed negligence of doctors and staff members of the hospital.

“There was no doctor present in the labour room during delivery,” he alleged, adding, “The on-duty doctors at the hospital were asleep at that time.”

“I tried to contact the director of the clinic over phone but his phone was switched off,” he further said.

The CU teacher had filed a written complaint against two doctors and a director of the hospital with Hathazari Police Station following the incident.

“The OC is insisting me to go for a negotiation with the hospital authorities,” Shahidul said, adding that he demands proper probe and punishment for those involved.

Contacted, Belal said they have received the complaint and were looking into the matter. He denied the allegation against him and said the baby was buried without any autopsy, so the cause behind the death is unknown. “So we decided to appeal to the court to exhume and conduct an autopsy on the body to find the cause of the death,” he said.