Allegations of medical malpractice continue to surface across healthcare facilities in the country, particularly in private hospitals, while a long-awaited law aimed at combating medical negligence remains stalled.

Patients are increasingly at risk due to the involvement of untrained or inexperienced personnel in critical care settings. Instances of patient deaths allegedly caused by unskilled staff have become a pressing concern amid weak regulatory enforcement.

“Although the interim government has drafted two new laws, including one to address medical negligence, interference is preventing even this already weak draft from being enacted,” said Advocate Syed Mahbubul Alam Tahin, a public health and environmental law expert.

In such a situation, incidents of patient deaths or serious harm continue to rise. One such case occurred at Parkview Medical College Hospital (PMCH) in Sylhet, where nurse assistants are allegedly being used to perform the duties of doctors.

Moyna Mia, a resident of Nidonpur village in Beanibazar upazila of Sylhet, died on 4 November while undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit (ICU) of the private hospital. Aggrieved relatives alleged that he died due to wrong treatment. Later, the hospital authorities convinced them.

Shihab Uddin, a relative of the patient, said they complained to the hospital authorities, blaming the death of Moyna Mia on the wrong treatment. “They have explained to us and we think we have no further complaints regarding the death of my uncle,” he told the Daily Sun.

According to documents obtained by the Daily Sun, some unskilled assistant nurses are working in sensitive places like the ICU of the hospital. Ava Rani and Sujita Kar are among them.

It is alleged that the patient died at the hands of Ava Rani. While feeding the patient through a nasal tube, it went into the lungs, causing the patient’s condition to deteriorate.

Such a mistake while feeding through a nasal tube can lead to the death of a patient, said a doctor.

In sensitive places like the ICU, where critical patients receive treatment, nurse assistants are being made to do the work of senior staff nurses in the PMCH. As per the job description, a nurse assistant will prescribe the patient’s medicine, receive the medicine, explain the medicine during discharge, monitor the patient, and they can measure blood pressure, but there is no rule for giving injections.

Ava Rani and some other such medical assistants give injections to patients without being a doctors or certified nurses. Their dresses are supposed to be different, but they wear nurses’ dresses. This is happening with the support of the department head as well as authorities concerned of the PMCH.

When asked about the allegations, Ava Rani could not give a proper answer. “If necessary, talk to the authorities concerned and the department head,” she replied.  Sujita Kar, another assistant nurse who also performs duty at the ICU, replied the same as Ava Rani. Shilpi Rani, in-charge of nurses at the ICU, also declined to comment on allegations brought against the duo.

They suggested that the reporter talk to department head Prof Dr Sabyasachi Roy. However, he did not make any comment.

Talking to the Daily Sun, Dr Md Abdus Salam, a director at PMCH, said Sabyasachi Roy is also one of the owners of the hospital.

“As a result, it is not possible to take action due to his influence in various matters. It is better not to have an assistant nurse in a sensitive place like the ICU. Ava Rani was once appointed as a nurse here and was in-charge. After joining, I gave her the post of assistant nurse. Because she is not a certified nurse. Some nurses, including Ava Rani, are doing all this here under Sabyasachi’s influence,” he said.

Such incidents take place in many other hospitals. On 16 October, a woman named Sharmin Afroze Laboni filed a case with a Dhaka court against six staff members of Asgar Ali Hospital at Gendaria in the capital over the death of her husband, citing medical negligence.

A recent study shows 38% of the people in the country fall victim to negligence, carelessness or maltreatment while seeking medical care in healthcare institutions.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) submitted the survey report to Health Sector Reform Commission on 18 February 2025 following commission's request.

The BBS conducted the survey on 8,256 households in urban and rural areas across the country at the beginning of this year.

Tahin, secretary of Center for Law and Policy Affairs-CLPA Trust, said the government should enact the ‘Patient Protection and Remedy Ordinance, 2025’ immediately eliminating loopholes and interference.

Barrister Nishat Mahmood, an advocate of the Supreme Court and member secretary of Public Health Lawyers Network, said enacting a strong law is the demand of the time to address medical negligence.

The reporter can be reached at [email protected]