HC orders hospitals to treat accident victims

The High Court on Thursday ordered the health secretary to issue a circular instructing all public and private hospitals and clinics across the country to provide immediate emergency treatment to victims of road accidents and all other accidents.

The court also directed the government to amend the Road Transport Act, 2018, and frame the necessary rules to ensure that accident victims receive prompt treatment at the nearest hospital or clinic.

The HC bench comprising Justice Md Habibul Gani and Justice Syed Mohammad Tazrul Hossain delivered the verdict following a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) in 2018 seeking its directives on emergency medical treatment.

The petition was prompted by media reports on the death of Khulna motor parts trader Ibrahim, who was allegedly attacked by muggers in Dhaka's Sayedabad on January 26, 2018.

He was taken to nearby Salahuddin Hospital, but the hospital authorities allegedly refused to provide him with treatment and referred him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Ibrahim died on the way to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.