A Dhaka court on Sunday ordered an investigation into charges against three doctors of negligence leading to the death of another physician named Tawfiq Enam.
The accused are Abdul Wahab Khan, a laparoscopic surgeon at Islami Bank Central Hospital in Kakrail, Dr Mamun Al Mahtab, Labaid Hospital’s gastroenterology department and Prof Dr Mohammad Ali, a hepatobiliary surgeon at BRB Hospital.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury’s court recorded the statement from the plaintiff under section 200 and tasked a senior assistant superintendent of the police’s Criminal Investigation Department to investigate the case and submit a probe report before it by July 19.
Akhtaruzzaman Mia, a senior physiotherapist filed the case over the death of his son.
The plaintiff said in his statement, when the victim’s son Dr Tawfiq Enam felt ill on May 4th, he took him to Dr Abdul Wahab at Islami Bank Central Hospital’s Kankrail branch. After examining, a stone was found in the gallbladder of the patient. The accused suggested a surgery for treatment. Last May 5, the Dr Wahab operated on Tawfiq Enam. On May 6th, he was sent home with a clearance. On the evening of May 9th the plaintiff’s son felt ill again. When he contacted Wahab Khan, he examined him again and rushed him to Labaid Hospital on an emergency basis. There Dr Wahab told him to contact Mamun-al-Mahtab Swapnil. Then Dr. Mamun Al Mahtab of Labaid Hospital also examined him and said that the clip had been placed in the wrong place during the gallbladder operation.
The statement also says that, Dr Mamun Al Mahtab knowingly tried to do endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ECRP) with stenting just for more money which went unsuccessful. Due to this, patient’s physical condition deteriorated rapidly. He then rushed to the Prof Dr Mohammad Ali at BRB Hospital. Dr Wahab and Dr. Mamun Al Mahtab sent the victim’s son to Dr Mohammad Ali by mutual connivance.
There Dr Mohammad Ali admitted Enam to BRB hospital on May 12 for an urgent operation. The hospital asked the patient’s relatives for three bags of blood for the surgery on May 30. After the family collected the blood, Dr Ali asked for four more bags of blood. At that time the relatives the doctors and nurses of the hospital involved in altercations over the issue. Tawfiq Enam died the same day while undergoing treatment.
The plaintiff applied for an arrest warrant against the accused under sections 304 (a), 386, 406 and 420 of the Penal Code. The case has been witnessed by six people including the victim’s wife Dr Mehebuba Sultana. The plaintiff further said that even after the death of his son, the accused took Tk five lakh from him saying that the victim was doing well.
