The authorities at Ad-din Medical College Hospital have withdrawn plans to publicly release the findings of an internal investigation into the deaths of six newborns.
Though the report was to be released on Sunday, the decision had been scrapped for unavoidable reasons, said Tariqul Islam Mukul, director of HR and company affairs at Ad-Din Foundation, on the day.
The report would be submitted to the relevant state authorities because a government-appointed committee was still investigating the incident, he also said.
The government investigation, originally scheduled to conclude within 72 hours, was extended until June 3 to allow further examination of possible causes of the deaths.
Several media outlets had reported that the hospital would unveil the internal probe report after a five-member committee, led by Prof Atiqur Rahman, an adviser to the foundation and a urologist, completed its inquiry.
On Sunday, Mukul did not provide any information about the report's contents.
The development came as pressure mounted for an independent judicial inquiry and government investigators widened their probe into the tragedy.
Also on Sunday, a Supreme Court lawyer served a legal notice on the government, demanding the formation of a judicial inquiry commission headed by a High Court judge to investigate the deaths and examine broader concerns over standards and accountability in the country's private healthcare sector.
Advocate SM Zulfikar Ali Junu, chairman of the National Lawyers' Council, said the notice had been sent to the health minister, health secretary, home secretary, law secretary, inspector general of police, director general of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and other relevant authorities.
The notice called for an independent judicial investigation into the deaths of the six infants at the hospital in Moghbazar, publication of the inquiry findings, legal action against those responsible for the incident, and fair compensation for the affected families.
It also urged the government to conduct nationwide mobile court drives to inspect private hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic centres and also scrutinise licensing, emergency medical facilities, critical care units, life-saving equipment, fire safety measures, infection-control systems, and patient safety standards.
The notice argued that ensuring safe, effective, and accountable healthcare services was a constitutional obligation of the state, and the longstanding allegations of negligence, irregularities, and poor oversight in the private healthcare sector required urgent attention.
The authorities were given 15 days to take visible action.
The failure to do so may result in the filing of a public interest writ petition. The six deaths occurred in the early hours of May 27.
bdsmile@gmail.com