Online Desk: Doctors at private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centre called off their strike as a court on Tuesday granted bail to two doctors of Dhaka’s Central Hospital in a case filed over the death of a newborn due to alleged negligence and wrong treatment. Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sultan Uddin Sohag passed the order after holding hearing on bail pleas of Dr Shahjadi and Dr Muna.

On Monday afternoon, Director General (DG) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam made the announcement of withdrawing strike following a joint meeting of Federation of All Society Bangladesh held at the conference room of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

On July 15, Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Bangladesh (OGSB) and the Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) decided that doctors will suspend their practices at private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres on July 17, 18 protesting the arrest of the two doctors of Central Hospital. According to the case documents, Mahbuba Rahman Akhi, who was expecting her first child, was taking treatment of Professor Dr Sangjukta Saha at Central Hospital for the last three months.

On June 9, Akhi was admitted at the hospital at 12.50 pm as she went into labour. Though Prof Saha was not present at the hospital at the time, the hospital authorities allegedly bluffed the patient’s family, saying she is in the hospital and will operate on Akhi. “As a result of the negligence of the hospital authorities and wrong treatment of the doctors present at the operation theatre, my child died and my wife is fighting for her life,” said the victim’s husband Yakub Ali said at the time.

Mahbuba Rahman Akhi too died later. Yakub Ali filed the case with Dhanmandi Police Station against 5-6 people on June 14, alleging his newborn son died because of negligence and wrong treatment at the hospital and now the life of his wife too is at risk.