Ad-Din Hospital employees attack journos

A group of officials, staff members and nurses attacked and chased journalists with sticks at the Ad-Din Hospital on Saturday, leaving some injured.

Deepto TV cameraperson was injured in the attack, and the camera of Boishakhi TV was vandalised. Times of Bangladesh reporter Kazi Zahid was also among those who came uder attack.

The incident happened when journalists asked hospital officials about the presence of a bakery on campus, and alleged unhiegenic environment.

A heated argument broke out during the media questioning, and afterwards a group of agitated staffers and nurses attacked the journalists.

A separate media report claimed the staffers launched the attack to prevent journalists from filming and photographing the site of the bakery.

Earlier in the day, Health Minister Sardar Sakhawat Husain visited the hospital facility in connection with the alleged negligent killing of six newborns on Wednesday.

Addressing reporters, the minister said the bakery could have emitted some gas harmful for newborns, adding the matter will be probed by the concerned committee.

The air conditioning system contains a smell of a different gas, which could have come from the factory, he noted.

When visiting the bakery or biscuit factory, the minister did not find any responisble person to talk with, he said. There was no engineer but only a mechanical assistant present, he added.

He also said the probe report submission over the death of newborns was deferred by four days to 3 June. The report was expected to be submitted Saturday.

The report does not contain responses from the mothers of the babies, and therefore, the committee has been given additional time. Three more members have been added to the committee, he said.

The hospital staffers had turned off the air conditioner of the post-delivery section at the request of one mother for two hours during 2am-4am on Wednesday, Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain said. During this period, there was no functioning ventilation system for air movement, he claimed.

All the matters will come up in the comprehensive probe report, he assured reporters.