Health ministry probe finds Central Hospital, husband responsible for Akhi’s death
Doctors in the surgery team also blamed for the death
A health ministry investigation committee has found the Central Hospital, some physicians and Mahbuba Rahman Akhi's husband responsible for her death during an ill-managed caesarean operation, and called for necessary action against the hospital authority.
The hospital authority declined to comment, when contacted regarding the investigation findings.
Umme Habiba, a deputy secretary at the health ministry, on 2 August signed the ministry's investigation report, which has recommended penalties against the Central Hospital and directed the Directorate General of Health Services to take further action if any lacking is found in the medical facility's services and infrastructure.
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Akhi's newborn died during the C-section operation on 10 June at Central Hospital and she herself died on 18 June after being transferred to LabAid Hospital in critical condition.
The investigation has also blamed Dr Senjukta Saha, Dr Muna Saha and Dr Shahzadi, who were involved in the C-section operation on 10 June, for Akhi and her newborn's deaths. The probe however found no fault of the hospital's gynaecologist Maksuda Farida Akhter Mili, who is also implicated in the negligence case but has maintained she was not present at the hospital during the botched surgery on 10 June, and was not aware of the process.
The health ministry investigation found that Dr Sanjukta Saha and Dr Muna Saha were operating at Central Hospital without renewing their licenses and Dr Sanjukta would often use proxy attendance, all the while the authorities being aware of the malpractices.
On the day of Akhi's C-section, Dr Sanjukta was abroad but told the patient's husband Yakub Ali that she was present at the hospital. She asked Dr Shahzadi Mustarshida Sultana to work in the operation team on her behalf. Dr Muna Saha was also in the team and like Shahzadi, helped fake attendance of Dr Sanjukta, making Dr Muna an obvious culprit in Akhi's death, the investigation found.
Dr Sanjukta was a social media sensation for her medical posts, and many women patients came to Central Hospital exclusively to receive treatment under her.
The hospital itself assisted in faking her attendance, potentially to avoid losing profits from her social media image.
The health ministry probe found Akhi's husband Yakub complicit in her unfortunate death on the grounds he did not conduct regular check-ups of his wife and consciously delayed following expert's recommendation for a C-section operation instead of normal delivery.
A registered physician in Titas upazila of Comilla told Yakub that due to delayed delivery procedure, Akhi had started suffering pregnancy complications that required a C-section. Adamant on a normal delivery, Yakub ignored the advice and made matters worse by taking Akhi on a long journey from Comilla to Dhaka city without an ambulance. He also concealed the low blood complications his wife suffered from. Thus, he also contributed towards his wife's death, the probe report claimed.
