Provide info on ex-NICRH officials: HC
The High Court yesterday wanted to know former National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH)officials' details including their present addresses and status, who were found negligent in preserving and protecting hospital equipment.
During hearing a suomoto (voluntary) rule, the court also sought information from the government on what actions have been taken.
The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman asked the attorney general's office to collect the information from the authorities concerned and place it before the court by March 10.
The bench also set March 10 to pass further orders.
On February 16, a government probe committee submitted a report to the HC, saying that it has found five NICRH officials negligent in preserving and protecting hospital equipment, including intensive care unit (ICU) ventilators.
The five are: AMM Shariful Alam, a director and project director between May 3, 2007 and February 8, 2009; Farhad Halim, project director from March 16, 2004 to May 3, 2007; Mollah Obaidullah Baki, a professor between August 16, 2009 and May 19, 2013; Prof Md Moarraf Hossain, a director and project director between December 31, 2014 and June 6, 2019; and Prof Manosh Kumar Bashu, who has been chief of the anaesthesia department since February 7, 2015.
Besides, Prof Md Hafizur Rahman Ansary, who was the director at the NICRH from February 8, 2009 to August 16, 2009, did not install ICU ventilators and Prof Sheikh Golam Mostafa, who was the director and project director from May 19, 2014 to August 3, 2014, "did not have the time" to do so, the probe committee said.
The probe committee, led by the health ministry Additional Secretary Md Sirajul Islam, submitted the report before the HC on February 16 through Deputy Attorney General Amit Talukder, as per its January 2 suomoto order.
After going through the report, the bench expressed dissatisfaction because the report did not mention whether any action had been taken against the NICRH officials for their negligence.
Following a report titled "ICU on sickbed" published in The Daily Star on January 2, the HC bench issued the suomoto rule on the same day and directed the government to suspend the retirement benefits of Prof Md Moarraf Hossain.
It also ordered the health secretary and the director general of the Directorate General of Health Services to form a committee and investigate the allegations of negligence by the NICRH authorities, and submit a report before the court upon its completion.
In the rule, the court asked the government authorities concerned to explain why the reported negligence of the NICRH authorities should not be declared illegal.
SC lawyer Manoj Kumar Bhowmick placed The Daily Star's report before the HC bench, seeking necessary orders on January 2.
Advocate Bakhtiar Uddin Ahmed appeared for Moarraf Hossain.
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