Cops cannot raid hospitals alone: Home Minister
Officials of the health ministry or representatives from DGHS must be present with RAB at all times during the raids, he says
The law enforcement agencies cannot raid any hospital alone without the consent of the health ministry and the directorate general of health services (DGHS), said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal.
He made the remarks to The Business Standard after an hour-long meeting with leaders of Bangladesh Private Medical College Association on Thursday.
Asaduzzaman Khan said, "From now on, RAB officials will not conduct raids inside these hospitals alone. Officials of the health ministry or representatives from DGHS must be present with RAB at all times during the raids."
Leaders and activists of Bangladesh Private Medical College Association paid a courtesy call on the minister at his residence in Dhanmondi of the capital.
On behalf of the association, an eight-member delegation led by Mobin Khan, chairman of the association, held discussions with the home minister to resolve their issues.
The nearly hour-long meeting, which began at 9:30 pm, had fruitful discussions and resulted in the following conclusions.
Earlier on Tuesday, a mobile court of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) conducted a raid in Dr Sirajul Islam Medical College and Hospital in the capital and fined the facility Tk30 lakh for various inconsistencies in the management of medical services.
The mobile court also recovered expired reagents and a large number of surgical supplies from the hospital.
On the same day, the high court questioned the legality of the health ministry's decision asking the law enforcers to take its permission before raiding any hospitals and issued a ruling asking the authorities concerned to explain within four weeks why the ministry's decision should not be declared illegal.
