Careless Childcare: Probe body recommends punitive action against clinic

The probe body formed to investigate the incident in which a baby girl was exchanged with the body of a baby-boy by a Chittagong clinic recommended punitive action against the clinic authorities.

The body, formed by the director of Chittagong Divisional Health Office Dr AM Mozibul Hoque, submitted the report yesterday.

Contacted, Dr Mozibul said he received the probe report late in the afternoon and was going through it. “I am studying the report and will inform the media about it tomorrow (Tuesday),” he told The Daily Star yesterday evening.

The head of the three-member committee Dr Asim Kumar Nath told The Daily Star they recommended punitive action as per ordinance of the government for the negligence and irresponsibility of the clinic authorities.

Dr Asim, also superintendent of General Hospital, Chittagong, said the probe-body collected related documents from the clinic and spoke with the people concerned during the investigation.

“We have found negligence and irresponsibility of the clinic authorities in taking care of the patient in this specific case,” he said.

“Apart from taking punitive action against the clinic authorities, we placed some other recommendations to avert such incidents in the future,” said Dr Asim, adding that their aim is to give private clinics a signal that no one would be spared if found neglecting their duties in taking care of patients.

Meanwhile, Alamgir Hossain Hero, an uncle of the baby girl who was now undergoing treatment at Neonatal ICU of Chittagong Medical College Hospital, said they knew nothing about the submission of the report.

“We are waiting to see the facts and recommendations of the probe report and what action the government takes against the clinic authorities,” he said,

The committee was formed on April 19 to investigate the incident in which ChildCare Hospital, a private clinic in the port city, exchanged Rokhsana Akhter's baby girl with the body of a baby boy on April 17.