Newborns death at Ad-Din Hospital: Air feels heavy with cry

Six newborns have died due to a 'gas leakage' of the air conditioning (AC) in the post-operative ward of the Ad-Din Hospital in the capital's Moghbazar. The tragic incident took place on Wednesday morning (May 27).

At the time of the incident, there were 11 mothers and six newborn babies in the post-operative ward. The babies who died were between one and two days old.

After this incident, the atmosphere in the hospital has become heavy with the cries of relatives.

The grandmother of one of the children complained in a tearful voice that if the doctors could not handle the situation, they should have asked them to go to another hospital.

She said: 'I was informed that my granddaughter had been taken to the ICU and I was also charged several thousand taka for buying medicines. But after waiting for hours, I came to know that the baby was no longer alive.'

She also complained that there were not enough doctors and nurses in the ward at night. The children were crying all night and were getting sick one by one.

Another mother who lost her baby said that almost all the babies in the ward were crying and vomiting at night. None of them understood what was happening. When the babies' condition worsened in the morning, they were taken out. Later, after being taken to the NICU, the doctors initially reassured them, but within some time, her baby's death was announced.

Meanwhile, as the day progressed, the crowd of worried relatives started increasing in the hospital. The atmosphere became heavy with their cries.

On the spot, it was seen that nothing could be done to comfort the bereaved mothers.

Regarding the deaths, the hospital's doctor Dr. Nahida Yasmin said that there were 11 mothers and six babies in the post-delivery ward. When two children fell ill at first, they were taken to the NICU. Later, they were sent back to the ward. When the children fell ill again around 6 am, they were taken to the NICU. Later, they were put on ventilation, but they could not be saved.

DMP Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed said that 11 mothers, including six newborn babies, were staying in the post-operative room. The mother of one newborn requested to turn off the AC as she felt cold. Later, the nurse turned off the AC for about an hour. Then, when the AC was turned on again because, two children fell ill. After a while, the remaining four children also fell ill. Later, the six babies died while undergoing treatment.

He also said that the CID crime team is working at the scene. Evidence is being collected. Details will be announced later.