6 newborns die in Dhaka hospital, probe launched into technical failure

Six newborns died within hours at a post-operative ward of Ad-Din Medical College Hospital in central Dhaka on Wednesday, prompting a government investigation into what health officials described as a suspected technical failure.

The infants, aged one to three days, died between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. in the post-delivery ward of the hospital in the Maghbazar area, according to officials from Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Health officials said guardians in the ward complained overnight that the room had become excessively cold, after which the air-conditioning system was reportedly turned off for about an hour.

One infant later developed complications and was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) before being returned to the ward. By early morning, all six babies had fallen critically ill and were shifted back to intensive care, officials said.

“We do not think the sudden deaths of six children occurred due to treatment complications,” DGHS Additional Director General Prof. Zahid Raihan told reporters. “We suspect some technical issue or fault may have been responsible.”

DGHS Director General Prof. Pravath Chandra Biswas said investigators found “a suffocating environment” inside the ward and noted the absence of alternative ventilation if the AC system stopped functioning.

Police, the Criminal Investigation Department and a government-appointed probe committee are investigating the incident, with authorities saying the panel has been instructed to submit its findings within 72 hours.