Father brings bodies of newborn twins to High Court seeking justice

Abdul Kalam Azad brought the bodies of his newborn twins to the High Court premises today seeking justice for their death after failing to get treatment at three different hospitals.

Afterwards, the HC ordered Bangladesh Islami Bank Hospital, Dhaka Shishu Hospital and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) to submit in 48 hours explanations about their refusal to treat the mother.

The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Ahmed Sohel came up with the order on suo muto (voluntary) move.

It also issued a rule asking hospital authorities to show causes why their inaction to admit the mother and the newborn babies and provide treatment should not be declared illegal.

Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin told The Daily Star that Abdul Kalam Azad, an MLSS of the Supreme Court, went to Islami Bank Hospital on a CNG-run auto-rickshaw with Sayera Khatun, his pregnant wife, after she fell sick in the morning.

She gave birth to the twins on her way to the hospital.

After reaching Islami Bank Hospital, the authorities there admitted Sayera but refused to admit the babies saying they were not equipped to provide treatment to newborns.

They advised Abdul Kalam to admit them to Dhaka Shishu Hospital.  

Dhaka Shishu Hospital authorities, however, informed Abdul Kalam that he had to pay Tk 5,000 for treatment of each baby per day, which he could not afford.

Abdul Kalam reached out to a HC judge over the matter, who advised that the newborns be taken to BSMMU, where its director would meet them, DAG Amin Uddin said.

Abdul Kalam went to BSMMU with the twins on an ambulance at around 2:00pm.

Once there, the BSMMU authorities informed him that the director had gone home after conducting an operation.

At a stage, a doctor of BSMMU visited the newborn babies in the ambulance and declared them dead, the DAG said.

Abdul Kalam then took the bodies to the HC premises on the ambulance and placed the issue before the HC bench for an order.

The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Ahmed Sohel delivered the suo muto order after informing the issue to Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain.