Regent Hospital scam: Ministry seeks explanation from DGHS of its press statement

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has asked health directorate Director General Professor Abul Kalam Azad to serve an explanation of his comment cited in a health directorate press statement styled "Health directorate signed an agreement with Regent Hospital under the directives of the higher authorities of the health ministry."

A letter signed by Deputy Secretary of the Health Services Division of the health ministry Sharmin Jahan was issued on Sunday afternoon seeking the explanation.

The ministry in its letter said the health directorate press statement published in various newspapers has come to its notice.

"It was stated in the press release that the health directorate inked an agreement with Regent Hospital on instructions from the higher authorities of the ministry. It is mentionable that any agreement on operating Covid-19 testing and/or treatment programmes can be signed with a hospital only if the facility is found suitable for such operations based on analysis of field-level visit, approval for operating the hospital, and availability of necessary testing equipment and machinery, manpower and lab facilities," the letter read. 

The ministry asked the health directorate director general to serve an explanation within the next three working days, clarifying what things they took into consideration before signing an agreement with Regent Hospital, what measures they took to make sure that the conditions outlined in the agreement are abided by, and what they wanted to mean by "directives of the higher authorities of the ministry".