Probe finds negligence of 5 cancer hospital doctors in equipment handling

The five officials are: Dr AMM Shariful Alam, Professor Dr Obaidullah Baki, Dr Moarraf Hossain, Dr Manosh Kumar Bashu and Dr Farhad Halim.

The probe committee led by Additional Secretary of Health Ministry Md Sirajul Islam submitted the report before the HC today, as per its January 2 order.

The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman expressed dissatisfaction as the probe committee did not mention in the report the actions taken against the five doctors for their negligence.

The court asked the probe committee to submit a further report before it in a week, mentioning the steps to be taken against the five.

Following a report published in The Daily Star on January 2, the HC directed the government to suspend the retirement facilities of Prof Dr Md Moarraf Hossain for his negligence in preserving and protecting hospital equipment.

The report found several cases of irregularities during an investigation at the country's lone specialised public hospital for cancer treatment.

The NICRH, situated in Mohakhali, is the go-to place for patients in the low-income bracket. According to an International Agency for Research on Cancer report released last year, about 1.08 lakh people die of cancer while 1.5 lakh people develop the disease every year in Bangladesh.