The High Court has asked the authorities concerned to conduct an inquiry into allegations of keeping unused twenty-eight emergency medical equipment for years at 16 hospitals in the country.
The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman issued the order following a writ petition. The health ministry has been asked to submit report in 60 days.
Supreme Court lawyer Manoj Kumar Bhowmik submitted the petition as a public interest litigation to the HC seeking it directives. He submitted the petition following a media news published in a Bengali daily on August 24 this year.
Manoj Kumar Bhowmik moved for the petition in the court, while Deputy Attorney General Bipul Bagmar represented the state.
The HC bench also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned of the 16 hospitals and the government to explain in four weeks why their negligence should not be declared illegal. Health secretary and DG of Directorate General of Health Services were also made respondents.
In the report, the Bengali daily mentioned that 28 emergency machines for detecting diseases remained unopened in boxes at 16 hospitals, some remaining in crates for last 17 years. The equipment include X-ray machines, ultrasonogram (USG) and ECG machines and ventilators. Some of those have already become dysfunctional as they remained idle for long while some are on the verge of ruin.
The authorities of most of the hospitals said that lack of manpower was the main reason behind keeping the machines still packed while in some cases the machines could not be installed because of lack of technical assistance from the health department.