Labaid Hospital boss, doctors sued over death of teenaged patient

A judge orders police to record it as a murder case, not over negligent death

The father of a boy has brought murder charges against seven officials and doctors of Labaid Specialized Hospital after the death of the 17-year-old allegedly for wrong treatment.

Monir Hossain started the case at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court of Dhaka on Monday after the death of Tahsin Hossain on Jun 23.

Judge Begum Farah Diba Chhanda ordered the chief of Dhanmondi Police Station to record it as a murder case, not on negligent death charges, said Tanvir Ahmed Sajeeb, the lawyer for Monir.

The accused are Dr AM Shamim, managing director of Labaid Group, surgeon Dr Md Saifullah, assistant surgeon Dr Maksud, Dr Sabbir Ahmed, Dr Mosharraf, Dr Kanak and Branch Manager Md Shahjahan.

Managing Director Shamim has denied the allegations of medical negligence, saying they were ready for a legal battle.

According to the case docket, the family took Tahsin to Dr Saifullah on Mar 27 after the teenager fell ill.

The doctor advised them to immediately admit him, saying he had an obstructive small gut, which stopped him from expelling faeces, resulting in pain.

The boy’s condition deteriorated after he had undergone surgery on Mar 28, as Dr Maksud said the surgery was unsuccessful.

Things took a turn for the worse after a second surgery on Apr 6. After a three-month stay, during which Tahsin was given 144 bags of blood, the boy died on Jun 23.

The hospital charged Monir Tk 2.7 million, out of which the father paid over Tk 1 million to have the body released.

Speaking to journalists, Monir said Dr Saifullah conducted two surgeries, although he could not confirm what the boy was suffering from.

“I am 100 percent sure that my son had the wrong treatment,” Monir said, alleging that the hospital refused to discharge Tahsin when the family wanted to take the patient to India for better treatment.

“The Labaid authorities and doctors slowly killed my son. I want justice for the murder of my son, so that no parents lose their loved children.”

Managing Director Shamim said they had formed a medical board for Tahsin and asked the family to take him abroad because the treatment he needed was not available in Bangladesh.

“The patient died around a week ago," he added. "We’ll now face the case filed by the family.”