Audite Karim :<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Article 27 of the Constitution of Bangladesh states, \u201cAll citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law.\u201d But are we abiding by this fundamental constitutional right? There are some people in this country who are above the law and justice. Beyond reach. Even after committing crimes, they move around with pride. Cases cannot be filed against them in court. Despite having evidence of their misdeeds, not even an investigation is conducted against them. Wearing the mask of civil society, they indulge in irregularities, yet no one can take action against them. Recent events surrounding child deaths have exposed this legal discrimination right before our eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the day before Eid, six newborns tragically died at Ad-din Hospital in the capital. The entire country was stunned in grief by this incident. The government initiated an investigation into the matter. The Health Minister assured that strict action would be taken against those responsible. The Health Minister has kept his word. Following the deaths of the six newborns, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has canceled the license of Ad-din Hospital located in Moghbazar, Dhaka. This decision was informed via a letter sent last Thursday to the hospital’s Executive Director and proprietor, Sheikh Mohiuddin. The Director (Hospitals and Clinics) of the DGHS sent the letter to Ad-din Hospital\u2019s proprietor Sheikh Mohiuddin on behalf of the Director General of DGHS. The letter further stated, \u2018Within 30 days of the cancellation order, you have the legal opportunity to appeal or seek review of the cancellation order with the government.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The subject of the letter was mentioned as \u2018Decision rendered in view of the reply to the show-cause notice by Ad-din Hospital, 2 Baro Moghbazar, Dhaka.\u2019 The letter stated that following the sudden deaths of six newborns on 27 May, based on the report of the investigation committee formed under Section 11(1) of The Medical Practice and Private Clinics and Laboratories (Regulation) Ordinance, 1982, a show-cause notice was issued on 4 June as to \u2018why the license of this hospital should not be canceled.\u2019 They were asked to respond by 5:00 PM on 7 June. Following that directive, when Ad-din Hospital applied for an extension of time to reply, the deadline was extended until 9 June, 5:00 PM. Mentioning this matter, the letter to the proprietor of Ad-din Hospital stated, \u2018Since the reply and explanation provided by your institution on June 9 was not satisfactory to the authorities, the license of your hospital is hereby canceled in accordance with Section 11(2)(b) of The Medical Practice and Private Clinics and Laboratories (Regulation) Ordinance, 1982.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to the steps taken by the DGHS, the police have filed a case regarding the deaths of the six newborns. The investigation of that case is ongoing. This is not the first time a patient has died due to the negligence of hospital authorities, but in the past, the DGHS could never be this strict. After such incidents, investigation committees were formed, there was some hullabaloo for a few days, and then everything was hushed up. Those who own private hospitals are influential. They managed everything by any means necessary. As a result, private hospitals gradually became autocratic. They became more occupied with making profits than providing services to patients. Private hospitals went beyond accountability. Therefore, by taking action against an influential private hospital like Ad-din, the government has undoubtedly shown courage. This is not just action against Ad-din Hospital; it is a warning signal for all private hospitals that cheat and harass people in the name of medical treatment. For this, the Health Minister deserves appreciation. He has been vocal and sensitive about this issue from the very beginning. The government\u2019s decision against Ad-din Hospital is an important precedent in establishing the rule of law and justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apart from the Ad-din incident, the current government has set several examples in establishing the rule of law. A Dhaka court has sentenced the prime accused, Sohail Rana, and his wife, Swapna Khatun, to death in the case of the rape and murder of seven-year-old child Ramisa Akhtar in Pallabi. Delivering this verdict within just six days has marked the beginning of a new chapter in establishing justice in Bangladesh. On the morning of 19 May, child Ramisa’s bloody and dismembered body was recovered from a room of a flat next to their residence in the Mirpur-11 area of Pallabi. Experts believe this verdict will play a role in reducing incidents of child murder and abuse across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But is the government managing to establish the rule of law and justice in all cases? This question has arisen because even though the procession of child deaths from measles grows longer and longer, the government is failing to take action against those responsible. Child deaths from measles surpassed six hundred long ago. Such a large number of child deaths has never occurred like this in Bangladesh before. Everyone knows the reason behind these deaths. Reports on this have been published in all media outlets. The child deaths from measles are not just a health issue; it is merely an example of the boundless negligence of the previous interim government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At a UNICEF press conference, UNICEF Representative Rana Flowers stated that UNICEF had warned the Ministry of Health in at least five letters during the interim government’s tenure about a potential vaccine crisis. They conveyed the same message to government officials during 10 meetings. UNICEF believes that because the interim government changed the vaccine procurement process, the vaccines did not arrive in the country on time. This proves that these children were, in fact, murdered\u2014a murder for which the Chief Adviser of the interim government and his Health Adviser bear responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Prime Minister Tariq Rahman, the Health Minister, and the Information Adviser have all stated in multiple speeches that this disaster occurred due to the negligence of the former government. However, the government has not formed a neutral investigation committee into this incident till now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many parents and conscious citizens took initiatives to file cases regarding this, but the courts did not accept their cases. Most recently, an elected representative filed a case on this matter. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Iqbal, an independent Member of Parliament from the Kishoreganj-5 constituency, filed a case petition in the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka. This petition to file a case against 5 individuals, including Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of the former interim government, and Nurjahan Begum, the former Health Adviser, for their failure to treat measles-infected children and for the subsequent deaths, was dismissed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prior to this, the High Court issued a rule asking why an inquiry commission should not be formed to investigate the failure of those responsible regarding the measles outbreak and child deaths across the country. Following a primary hearing on 19 May on a writ petition filed in the public interest, a High Court bench comprising Justice Razik-Al-Jalil and Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury issued this rule. The Cabinet Secretary, Health Secretary, Home Secretary, Public Administration Secretary, Director General of DGHS, and other concerned parties were asked to respond to the rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Advocate Syed Mamun Mahbub, who argued for the writ in court, stated that the court issued the rule regarding the formation of an inquiry commission to investigate who is responsible for the ongoing child deaths and why the state failed to perform its duties. On 17 May, Supreme Court lawyer M. Ashraful Islam filed the writ petition with the relevant branch of the High Court. The writ alleged that measles vaccines were diverted to the private sector outside the state system, and it sought the formation of an investigation committee alongside a travel ban on Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and members of the advisory council until the investigation concluded. A legal notice regarding this had been sent to those concerned on April 6. However, no remedy has been obtained from these writs yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no response from the government regarding these allegations. A reluctance to investigate is being noticed on the government’s part. But why? The current government has taken all kinds of initiatives to prevent measles. The responsibility for these deaths does not fall on the current government in any way. If so, what is the barrier to bringing the culprits to justice in this case? If a proper investigation into the deaths of over six hundred children from measles is not conducted and the perpetrators are not brought to justice, Bangladesh will remain lagging behind in establishing the rule of law and justice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Audite Karim : Article 27 of the Constitution of Bangladesh states, \u201cAll citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law.\u201d But are we abiding by this fundamental constitutional right? There are some people in this country who are above the law and justice. Beyond reach. Even after committing crimes, they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bangladesh","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n