33 infants die at RMCH in 11-day: 'Director should be hanged,' says Minister

Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain has expressed fury on the director of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital following revelations that 33 infants died within an 11-day period due to the absence of a functioning Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Speaking at a Society of Surgeons of Bangladesh event held at Shahid Abu Sayed International Convention Centre on Saturday, the minister expressed fury over the tragic deaths and the hospital leadership's failure to communicate critical infrastructure gaps to authorities.

"Thirty-three babies died within 11 days in Rajshahi. The director of the hospital did not inform us that it does not have a neonatal ICU. He should be hanged from the gallows," Husain declared during his address.

The crisis came to light after Prothom Alo published a report on March 26 detailing how newborns at the medical college hospital perished while waiting for intensive care support that was unavailable at the facility.

According to the minister, when he initially contacted the hospital director regarding the report, the official attempted to downplay the situation by characterizing media coverage as exaggerated.

"When I called him, he said the media report was exaggerated. I then asked him to submit a report on the actual situation. Yesterday, he provided it but could not deny the media report," Husain recounted.

The minister acknowledged challenges in rapidly procuring medical equipment through official government channels, explaining that securing ventilators on short notice through public funding proves difficult.

In response to the emergency, Husain revealed he personally arranged three ventilators through private means for immediate deployment to the hospital. He announced plans to procure three additional ventilators on Saturday.

The Health Secretary and Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services were scheduled to travel to Rajshahi to personally deliver the equipment.