Ad-din gets back licence 

The government has withdrawn its order cancelling the licence of Ad-din Medical College Hospital in Dhaka's Moghbazar, around one and a half months after the facility's licence was revoked following the deaths of six newborns.

The hospital has been allowed to resume operations subject to several conditions, according to a notification signed by Health and Family Welfare Secretary Md Kamruzzaman Chowdhury on Monday.

The notification said the hospital authorities had appealed against the licence cancellation. Following the appeal, the government on July 15 instructed an investigation committee to conduct an on-site inspection and submit its report within three working days.

After reviewing the committee's findings, the government found the report satisfactory and decided to withdraw the licence cancellation order.

However, the hospital has been directed to fully comply with the provisions of The Medical Practice and Private Clinics and Laboratories (Regulation) Ordinance, 1982, as a condition for resuming operations.

It has also been instructed to complete the recruitment of the required number of duty doctors and nurses in line with its licence conditions as quickly as possible.

The notification said the government would be empowered to take legal action through the competent authority if the hospital violated any of the licence conditions in the future.

On May 27, the day before Eid, six newborns died one after another in the post-delivery ward of Ad-din Hospital in Moghbazar.

A Health Ministry investigation committee later found evidence of negligence by the hospital authorities in connection with the deaths, leading to the cancellation of its licence.

The hospital subsequently filed an appeal. Following the committee's on-site inspection and submission of what the government described as a satisfactory report, the licence has now been restored, allowing the hospital to resume operations under the stipulated conditions.