‘Suffocating’ conditions found in Ad-din ward where six newborns died, says DGHS chief

A three-member inquiry committee is set to submit its report within 72 hours

The environment inside the section of Ad-din Medical College Hospital’s post-delivery ward where six newborns died had a “suffocating” environment with no proper ventilation after the air-conditioning system stopped working, according to Pravath Chandra Biswas, director general of health services.

Speaking to journalists after inspecting the hospital on Wednesday afternoon, Pravath said failure of the air conditioning system or other factors created a stifling environment inside the room around dawn.

“The AC was set up in such a way that when it was switched off, there was no ventilation at all," he added.

He added that a three-member enquiry committee has been formed to look into the matter and submit a report within the next three days.

The news of the six newborns' deaths on the morning before Eid-ul-Azha sent shockwaves across the country, prompting police and health officials to rush to the medical facility.

While families of the dead children have alleged negligence, authorities could not immediately pinpoint the exact cause of death.

Calling the incident “untoward and unusual”, the health DG said 11 mothers were inside the ward at the time, six of whom had their babies with them.

The infants were aged between one and three days, while the remaining five babies were undergoing treatment in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

The DGHS chief said there had been no ventilation arrangement in the ward if the AC was switched off, leaving the room in a condition where breathing became difficult.

“These newborns were staying in such conditions for treatment. Under the circumstances, we lost six babies in the early morning,” he added.

To determine whether there were any lapses on the part of management and to uncover the exact causes of the deaths, he said a high-powered enquiry committee has been formed.

The probe body includes a joint secretary from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, an official holding the rank of deputy director from the DGHS hospital wing, and another DGHS official.

Pravath said: "The committee will investigate if there were any flaws in the medical care provided in the room where these children died, and assess the treatment environment.

“They will look into the questions raised about the air conditioning complications or any other technical faults to find out the true cause of death.

“The team will deliver its report within 40 to 72 hours, and the government will take strict action based on its findings."

The director general warned that any lapse, whether managerial, infrastructural or technical, would face graded disciplinary measures following the investigation.

A journalist asked how quickly a newborn could deteriorate under such “suffocating” conditions and whether doctors or nurses were present in the ward at the time.

Pravath said nursing staff were on duty and that there was a system in place to transfer critically ill babies to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

He added that the current system had a weakness in response handling, which would be examined. “We will definitely look into whether there were any service gaps.”

Questions were also raised about what happened between midnight and early morning when symptoms were reported.

Additional DG (Administration) Md Zahid Raihan said the AC was switched off around 2am after a guardian complained of cold, and it remained off for about an hour.

He said the first baby became unwell around 4am and was moved to NICU, improved briefly, and then returned to the ward.

Later, around 6am, staff found a baby had died, after which the others deteriorated and were shifted to NICU, where all six eventually died.

He said the deaths were sudden and unlikely to be due to a single clinical disease outbreak.

“This does not appear to be a typical medical outbreak situation,” he said, suggesting a possible technical fault.

"You do not need to be a doctor to apply common sense and ask why six babies suddenly died within one or two hours.”

Zahid said CID technical experts, along with specialists in air-conditioning and electrical equipment management, have sealed the room and are conducting their own investigation.

Their findings will feed into the final conclusions, he added.

He added that while measles, diarrhoea or other illnesses are currently circulating, none of those would cause six babies to die suddenly in the same hospital within half a day.

“This is likely a technical fault of some kind. Please give us a little time to look into it properly.”

On whether postmortems would be carried out, the DGHS official gave no clear answer.

Reflecting on the sensitive situation, he said: "The legal framework for unnatural deaths dictates that a postmortem examination must be conducted.

“These infants, however, are incredibly tiny, and previously, a grieving guardian held out a baby to show me, asking where exactly we intended to perform incisions on such a small body.

“I could not find the words to answer him."

When a journalist pressed him on whether the root cause could be identified without postmortems, he said it would be difficult.

"But in that case the courts would proceed on the basis of circumstantial evidence," he added.

Hospital Apologises for Deaths

The Ad-din Medical College Hospital authorities have issued their “deepest apologies” following the deaths of the newborns.

The hospital said in a statement that it was “deeply shocked” by the incident.

The statement said an initial review found that around 2am on Wednesday air-conditioning units in Post Operative Ward-2 on the hospital’s second floor were switched on, but some mothers requested they be turned off. Nurses on duty later switched them off.

It said the AC was turned on again around 3am. At about 4am, one baby began crying unusually and was taken to the NICU. The other five newborns were also moved there shortly after.

The first infant died around 6am, while the remaining five died between 6am and 9am, according to the statement.

The hospital said the mothers had been staying with their newborns in the ward, while three nurses were on duty at the time.

Police and government authorities are investigating the incident, and the hospital is “fully cooperating” with the process.

An internal inquiry has also been launched. “If any negligence or error is identified, appropriate action will be taken,” the statement said.