ICU, CCU at District Hospitals: HC wants to know progress from DGHS

The High Court yesterday summoned the director general of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and its director (hospitals and clinics) to appear before it on January 8 next year, to know the progress on setting up 30-bed intensive care unit (ICU) and coronary care unit (CCU) at district hospitals across the country.

The bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam passed the summons order while hearing a writ petition filed by Human Rights Lawyers and Environment Society of Bangladesh seeking necessary orders in this regard.

Deputy Attorney General Md Noor us Sadik told The Daily Star that the HC had earlier wanted to know from the DGHS specifically what steps have been taken to set up 30-bed ICU and CCU at all district hospitals.

The DGHS informed the HC that it formed a committee to collect information from all hospitals about ICU and CCU and take necessary steps, but DGHS has not yet informed the HC of the committee’s actions, he said.

At one stage during the hearing yesterday, petitioner’s lawyer Advocate Bashir Ahmed prayed to the HC to summon the DG of DGHS and its director (hospitals and clinics) to appear before it to know the progress.

Following the same petition filed by Human Rights Lawyers and Environment Society of Bangladesh, the HC on July 24 last year issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why they should not be ordered to take steps for setting up ICU/CCU units in all the general hospitals at district headquarters.

On May 21 this year, DGHS submitted a report to the HC saying that Tk 53 lakh is needed for setting up an ICU and Tk 23 lakh is needed for installing a CCU in a hospital.