Mother dies days after newborn's death due to hospital's negligence

Mahbuba Rahman Akhi, who was in critical condition following negligent treatment at the Central Hospital, died while undergoing treatment at the capital's LabAid Hospital on Sunday.

"She breathed her last at 1.43 pm," Akhi's husband Yakub Ali Sumon said, quoting doctors.

LabAid Hospital, in a release, stated that Mahbuba was brought to the hospital unconscious and on life support in an ambulance on 10 June and kept her Critical Care Unit (CCU) under the supervision of specialist doctors.

"As her condition did not improve, a medical board was formed on 12 June for her improved treatment," the hospital's Public Relations Officer Chowdhury Meher A Khoda said.

"Due to the closure of her urine output, she underwent dialysis. Despite all efforts, her condition did not improve, and she eventually experienced heart failure, leading to her demise," the statement reads.

Akhi, a caesarean patient, accused Dhaka's Central Hospital authorities of deception, resulting in the death of her child. Akhi herself has been on life support since the incident. 

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on Friday shut down the operating theatre of the hospital, citing the unsatisfactory quality of the hospital's ICU and emergency services.

On 14 June, Akhi's family filed a case with Dhanmondi Police Station, alleging deception and improper treatment by physicians Dr Shahjadi and Dr Munna. Dhanmondi police, later, arrested them.

Meanwhile, Akhi's Eden College classmates have demanded the immediate arrest of Dr Sangjukta Saha and the closure of the hospital, and licence cancellation over their friend's death.  

Earlier on 14 June, family members alleged that Central Hospital deceived them by saying gynaecologist Sangjukta Saha was present during the delivery of Akhi's child, leading to the newborn's death and major injuries to the mother.

"Being influenced by a video on Facebook, my sister wanted to have a normal delivery under Dr Sangjukta Saha's care at Central Hospital. On Friday midnight, she was taken to the hospital from Cumilla," said Shakhawat Hossain Shamim, a cousin of Akhi.

"After 40 minutes of exercise prescribed for normal delivery, Akhi was suddenly taken to the operating theatre. At one point, Dr Shahjadi, an assistant of Dr Sangjukta, called another physician. Dr Shahjadi informed us that they were trying their best as Dr Sangjukta had not been in the hospital," he told The Business Standard.

"If Dr Sangjukta was not in the operating theatre, who did the operation? We realised that we have been deceived," Shamim continued and said they enquired the hospital authorities about the fraudulence but did not get any satisfactory reply.

Then, they called the police on the emergency hotline 999. "After talking to the hospital authorities, the police advised us to shift the patient to the BSMMU. As there were no vacant seats, we went to LabAid," Shamim said.

Central Hospital doctors barred from self-promotion on social media

The authorities of Central Hospital have requested all of its specialist doctors not to make any posts on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, to attract patients. 

Terming the practice as immoral and anti-medical ethics, the hospital stated, in a notice on Sunday, that necessary actions will be taken if any physicians or their appointed persons are found to be involved in such activities.