Shahabuddin Hospital to be sealed off

A team of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) is going to seal off Shahabuddin Medical College Hospital in the capital's Gulshan area for unauthorised Covid-19 testing and issuing fake test results.

Earlier, a mobile court launched drive at 3pm at the hospital and ended it at 9pm on Sunday. After completing the raid, the court ordered the sealing of the hospital. 

"The hospital tested Covid-19 patients without any testing permission, and gave fake reports. Besides, the license of the hospital expired one year ago. The hospital will be sealed off over these allegations," said RAB Executive Magistrate Sarwoer Alam.

The executive magistrate further said several patients are currently admitted in the hospital. The hospital will be sealed off after the patients are shifted to another hospital.

"The hospital took TK 4500 to 5000 from patients for the virus test. Besides, they took money from patients without testing them. The hospital also admitted Covid-19 negative patients claiming they were positive, and took additional money from them," he added. 

"We seized some bills from the hospital. After analysing these bills, we found that a patient was admitted on June 24 and released on June 25. For a day, they charged the patient TK1,21,000. The hospital also showed three bills for a single test".

"A case will be filed against the hospital," said the executive magistrate. 

The elite force also found expired medicines which are at least 11 years old and expired surgical equipment during the raid. The mobile court also fined the hospital Tk2 lakh for irregularities.  

RAB have detained Doctor Abul Hasnat, assistant director, and Shariz Kabir Shadik, inventory office of the hospital. 

The hospital was reportedly testing Covid-19 samples with rapid test kits which, according to the Directorate General of Drug Administration, cannot be used for diagnosis.