HC orders to finish probe into death of Ayaan

Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Monday ordered the Director General (DG) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to take steps to investigate the death of five-year-old Ayaan at the United Medical College Hospital in Dhaka and to submit a report in seven days.
The HC bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md Atabullah issued the order and rule following a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer A B M Shahjahan Akand Masum seeking necessary directives.

The HC also asked the DG of DGHS to submit a list of the hospitals with licences and without licences to it in one month. It also asked the DG of DGHS to submit a list of the patients who died earlier at the same hospital due to mishandling and negligence of its doctors within three months.

At the same time, the court issued a rule asking the authorities concerned of the hospital and the government to explain as to why they should not be directed to give Tk 50 million to the family of Ayaan, who died following a circumcision at the hospital allegedly due to negligence and wrong treatment.

It also wanted to know in the rule as to why the license of the hospital should not be cancelled for authorities’ negligence into the matter and as to why the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) registrations of the doctors concerned should not be cancelled.

Ayaan, a nursery student at a private school in the capital, passed away following a circumcision procedure conducted at United Medical College Hospital in the capital’s Badda area. Ayaan’s father Shamim Ahmed alleged that the hospital’s mishandling led to the loss of his child.

On 31 December last year, Ayaan was circumcised under full anaesthesia at United Medical College Hospital in Satarkul Badda, allegedly without parental consent. He was transferred to the hospital’s Gulshan branch from there as he did not regain consciousness a few hours post-operation.

After seven days of keeping him on life support in the paediatric intensive care unit, the doctors declared Ayaan dead early on January 7. The hospital authorities handed over Ayaan’s body to his family around 4:35 pm on January 7.

United Hospital has formed an inquiry committee to probe the incident. Meanwhile, the DGHS on January 8 formed a four-member body to probe into the matter.