The High Court (HC) on Thursday ordered investigation into irregularities in using modern equipment procured for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH).

The Health Secretary and the director general of the Directorate General of Health Services have been ordered to file a report within 30 days after investigation.

Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman’s bench issued the suo-moto order taking into account a newspaper report on the sorry state of the ICU.

The bench also ordered suspending pension of recently retired NICRH director Prof Dr Md Moarraf Hossen.

Along with the directives, the court ordered the health secretary, DGHS DG and Dr Moarraf to explain why the inactivity of the hospital authorities should not be declared illegal for keeping modern equipment uncared for.

Lawyers Monoj Kumar Bhowmik and M Emdadul Haq brought the report to the court’s notice.

A report run by an English daily said eight high-end ventilators (each costing Tk 70 lakh) procured 12 years ago had been gathering dust.

The ventilators were not used even when a central oxygen system was installed more than three years ago. The motherboards of the ventilators had been stolen.