Vandalism at DMCH following death of child under treatment

A scuffle and vandalism took place at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Friday night following the death of a child under treatment. The incident occurred in front of the hospital’s emergency department. Police later arrived and brought the situation under control.

Hospital sources said that after the death of a four-year-old child named Safwan, relatives got into an altercation with doctors and hospital staff. While taking the body away, they clashed with the trolley operators. Following the incident, several people stormed the emergency department and carried out vandalism, leaving several injured. Among them, one person named Juwel was seriously injured.

Md Abdullah, an Ansar member on duty at Ward 210 of the hospital, said that around 8:30pm relatives brought in the child. Doctors examined him and declared him dead. At that point, the relatives became enraged at the doctors and attempted to assault them. They then moved to the emergency department and chanted slogans against the doctors, alleging that the child had died due to wrong treatment.

The deceased child’s aunt, Simran, said that Safwan lived with his family in the Sat Rowja Bangladesh Field area of Bangshal. He had been suffering from kidney complications and had received treatment at various hospitals. On Friday evening, his condition suddenly deteriorated, and he was rushed to Dhaka Medical. “But no treatment was given here. That is why our child died. Instead, the hospital staff physically assaulted the child’s father Samir and his friend Soeb Hossain,” she alleged.

When contacted, doctors from Ward 210 of Dhaka Medical College Hospital declined to comment on the matter.

Selim Mia, Platoon Commander of Ansar at the hospital, said that relatives of the child vandalised the door of Ward 210, attempted to attack the nurses and doctors on duty, and later tried to assault an Ansar member stationed at the emergency department. “When a trolley operator intervened, he was severely beaten,” he said.

Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of the DMCH Police Camp, said that after the trolley operator was assaulted, hospital staff became agitated and assaulted two of the deceased’s relatives and detained them. Later, they were handed over to Shahbagh Police Station. Additional police have been deployed at the hospital, and the situation is now calm.