Ad-Din Hospital regains licence under 3 conditions
In a Nutshell:
- The Health Services Division withdrew the licence cancellation order and allowed Ad-Din Medical College Hospital to reopen.
- The hospital must meet three conditions, including following private hospital regulations and recruiting the required number of duty doctors and nurses.
Why it Matters
The Ad-Din case could have become a warning to other private hospitals that negligence by healthcare providers would carry consequences. After the deaths of six newborn babies in May, a probe found poor infrastructure, lack of proper ventilation, absence of a duty doctor, and delayed medical response, prompting the government to cancel its licence on June 11. In multiple statements, the Health Minister defended the decision, saying that “no one will escape accountability” and that the action would serve as “a warning for hospitals across the country”. Months later, the government has reversed that decision and allowed the hospital to resume operations. What changed between the government calling for strict punishment and accepting the hospital’s compliance as satisfactory?
What We Think
The government now has to show that the problems which led to Ad-Din’s licence cancellation were actually addressed, not just that the hospital met basic conditions to reopen. The Health Minister had earlier alleged that Ad-Din officials tried to reverse the decision with offers of “crores of taka”, a claim the hospital denied. After such strong statements and a decision that was presented as a warning to other private hospitals, the government needs to explain how it reached a different conclusion this time.
