Deaths of six newborns: Legal notice served seeking criminal action against Ad-Din Hospital

A legal notice has been served demanding departmental and criminal action against Ad-Din Hospital for the deaths of six newborns at the hospital's maternity and neonatal ward.

The notice also called for compensation for the victims’ families and urgent safety measures in maternity and neonatal wards at hospitals across the country.

The notice was sent online on Friday (May 29) by Supreme Court lawyer and child rights activist Advocate Ishrat Hasan to the secretary of the Health Services Division, the director general of the Directorate General of Health Services, the director of hospitals and clinics under the health directorate, and the director of Ad-din Hospital.

According to the notice, the deaths and illnesses involving multiple newborns at the hospital have triggered nationwide concern, grief and outrage.

It stated that several newborns suddenly became critically ill late at night, showing symptoms including persistent crying, vomiting, breathing difficulties and rapid deterioration of physical condition. Some mothers also reportedly fell ill during the same period.

The notice alleged that despite the emergency situation, adequate medical response, continuous monitoring and immediate treatment support were not properly ensured.

It further claimed that the presence and response of on-duty medical staff were insufficient and that delays occurred in transferring critically ill newborns to advanced treatment facilities, contributing to the tragic deaths.

The legal notice said the incident exposed serious weaknesses in hospital safety, emergency response systems, patient monitoring and overall healthcare management in maternity and neonatal wards across the country.

Four key demands were outlined in the notice:

Identification of those responsible and initiation of departmental and criminal proceedings.

Adequate compensation for the affected families.

Immediate implementation of effective protocols to ensure emergency response, patient safety and round-the-clock monitoring in maternity and neonatal wards nationwide.

Formation of monitoring committees to regularly evaluate hospital safety standards, emergency care systems and overall healthcare services.

The notice requested authorities to inform the public within 72 hours regarding the measures taken in response to the demands.