Capital Mobile Court Penalises Ad-Din Hospital Heavily

The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has penalised Ad-Din Hospital, located in the Moghbazar area of the capital, a total sum of three lakh taka following an inspection conducted by a mobile court. The regulatory operation, which took place on Sunday, 31 May, uncovered extensive operational deficiencies, non-compliance with hygiene protocols, and administrative irregularities within the medical facility’s food management and catering infrastructure.

The comprehensive enforcement drive commenced at 3:00 pm and concluded at 6:00 pm. Executive Magistrate Aminul Islam led the DSCC mobile court delegation. The inspection team comprised several high-ranking municipal and enforcement officials, including the assistant director of the city corporation, the regional health officer, certified safe food inspectors, and a contingent from the Bangladesh Police to ensure orderly proceedings.

Structural Breakdown of Regulatory Fines

During the rigorous three-hour inspection of the hospital’s kitchens and food storage units, the mobile court identified severe violations of statutory health and consumer codes. The executive magistrate imposed the financial penalties under two distinct pieces of national legislation:

• Safe Food Act: A fine of two lakh taka was levied due to unhygienic environmental conditions, structural mismanagement in food handling, and the discovery of unlabelled, non-compliant food products stored for consumption.

• Consumer Rights Protection Act: An additional fine of one lakh taka was countered against the hospital administration for failing to maintain standard consumer safeguards regarding nutritional and product transparency.

Judicial Notice and Demands for General Reforms

Coinciding with the regulatory raid, a formal legal notice has been served to the relevant authorities demanding the constitution of a judicial inquiry commission. The legal action directly addresses allegations of systemic negligence following the deaths and severe illnesses of multiple newborns within the hospital’s maternity and neonatal wards.

The legal notice formally requests the government to execute regular, unannounced mobile court operations across all private hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic centres throughout Bangladesh. This proposed systemic monitoring is intended to verify the quality of emergency medical services and prevent ongoing institutional irregularities.

The notice was officially dispatched on Sunday by Advocate S.M. Zulfiquar Ali Junu, a registered Supreme Court practitioner and the current chairman of the National Lawyers Council. The legal document seeks immediate accountability from the facility’s executive management board regarding patient safety protocols.

Contextual Background of the Neonatal Fatalities

This rigorous regulatory scrutiny follows an incident that occurred earlier in the week, causing significant public concern and widespread grief across the nation. On Wednesday, 27 May—the morning immediately preceding the holy festival of Eid-ul-Adha—six infants admitted to the post-operative ward of Ad-Din Hospital suddenly developed critical medical complications.

Despite the efforts of the on-duty medical staff, all six infants subsequently passed away in quick succession. The mass fatality inside the specialised unit has triggered intensive monitoring from municipal health authorities and civil society organisations.

Ad-Din Hospital operates as a prominent healthcare facility under the ownership of the Ad-Din Foundation, a registered non-profit charitable organisation. The foundation was established and is currently chaired by Dr Sheikh Mohiuddin. Sheikh Mohiuddin is widely recognised as the eldest son of the late industrialist Sheikh Akij Uddin, the historic founder of the Akij Group conglomerate. The charitable status of the parent foundation has intensified calls from legal experts for complete transparency regarding the operational standards maintained within its healthcare institutions.