The High Court on Monday asked the director general of the Directorate General of Health Services to submit lists of authorised and unauthorised hospitals and clinics across the country in a month.

The court also asked the government and the authorities of the United Medical College Hospital to explain in four weeks why the hospital would not be directed to pay Tk 5 crore as compensation for the death of five-year-old Ayaan.

The minor boy died on December 31, 2023, following a circumcision procedure conducted by a doctor at the hospital in the capital’s Badda.

The court also asked the DG of the Directorate General of Health Services to submit another report on the number of patients who died at the United Hospital.

The bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md Atabullah passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by the victim’s father, Shamim Ahmed.

On January 9, Shamim filed a case with the Badda police station against the United Hospital at Badda and the United Medical College Hospital in Gulshan, its two doctors, unnamed directors, officers, and employees over Ayaan’s death.

The accused doctors are anaesthesia specialist Saeed Sabbir Ahmed and surgeon Tasnuva Mahzabeen of United Medical College Hospital, located in Badda’s Satarkul area.

The High Court issued a fresh order asking for a list of authorised and unauthorised hospitals and clinics.

In July 2020, the DG of Health Services, while hearing a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Ishrat Hassan, informed that it had no information about the number of unauthorised hospitals and clinics.

The DG, however, informed the court during the period that the directorate received 12,543 applications seeking renewal of licences for privately run hospitals and clinics.

Ishrat told New Age that the High Court bench led by Justice Tariq ul Hakim, following opposition by the office of the attorney general, summarily rejected her writ petition that sought a directive to upload the list of authorised and unauthorised hospitals and clinics on the directorate website for creating public awareness.

Ishrat filed the writ petition in the wake of the issuing of fake Covid-19 certificates by Regent Hospital, which had no licence.

A total of 1,103 healthcare facilities got registered for the first time, while 2,181 renewed their licences after the directorate conducted a raid in August 2022 against hospitals and clinics on the allegation of wrong treatment and providing false diagnostic reports.

The directorate, on May 26, 2022, ordered all illegal hospitals, diagnostic centres, and blood banks to close their operations within 72 hours.

Following the directive, the DGHS launched a drive with the help of local administrations to close illegal private hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic centres across the country.

With its May 26 circular, the DGHS also gave three months to registered but non-compliant healthcare centres to improve their operational condition.

Since the drive, 2,339 applications for new licences and 4,598 applications for licence renewal have been submitted until July 31, 2022.

Earlier in July 2020, a separate bench of the High Court asked the health ministry to strengthen its monitoring of the activities of private hospitals and clinics, which were accused of holding hostage their patients and indulging in irregularities, including treatment refusal.

The online bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim also said that the government should not give the impression that it is trying to justify the wrongdoings of the owners of private hospitals and clinics.

The court quoted a media report as saying that the owners of the private hospitals and clinics demanded that Shahabuddin, the owner of the illegally run Shahabuddin Medical College Hospital, be freed after the Rapid Action Battalion arrested and sealed off the hospital.

Earlier on June 15, 2020, the online bench of Justice Enayetur Rahim issued 11 directives, eight of which were stayed by the Appellate Division on June 16 following the government’s appeal.

One of the eight directives, stayed by the Appellate Division, said that the denial of treatment by government or private hospitals or clinics resulting in the death of the patient would constitute a criminal offence of causing death by negligence.

The Appellate Division upheld three directives, including one seeking a report from the health secretary and the health services director general by June 30 on Covid-19 patients.

The second directive banned the sale of oxygen cylinders without prescriptions and identification of patients and asked the commerce ministry and the Consumers Association of Bangladesh to fix the prices of oxygen cylinders and their refilling and to put the price chart on display at the shops.

The Appellate Division also upheld the directive to strengthen monitoring by the health secretary and the DGHS to prevent private hospitals and clinics from realising excessive bills for treatment.

The 11 directives were issued after hearing five joint writ petitions by SC lawyers and BSMMU deputy registrar Abdullah Al Mamun.

No order can prevent wrong treatment and false diagnostic reports as there was no enforcement of the earlier directives, according to the health experts and related lawyers of the cases.