Health minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain on Wednesday said that the response submitted by the authorities of Ad-Din Medical College Hospital to a show-cause notice issued by the Directorate General of Health Services over the deaths of six newborns was not satisfactory.

‘The hospital authorities could not provide any clear explanation in response to the DGHS notice. Instead, they submitted four or five pages of unnecessary information and claimed that they had not done anything intentionally,’ the minister told reporters at the secretariat in Dhaka.

On May 27, six newborns died in the post-operative ward of the hospital in Dhaka, triggering widespread concern and prompting an official investigation.

Following the publication of the investigation report on June 4, the DGHS issued a show-cause notice asking the hospital authorities to explain within three days why the hospital’s licence should not be revoked over the deaths.

Earlier, a DGHS probe found negligence and mismanagement by the hospital authorities in connection with the deaths.

Habibur Rahman, the father of one of the deceased newborns, also filed a case with Ramna police station, alleging death caused by negligence.

On June 7, Supreme Court lawyer Shishir Manir said that the hospital authorities and the victims’ families had agreed on compensation of Tk 80 lakh for each of the families.

Identifying himself as a mediator in the discussions, Shishir said that the criminal case against the hospital would continue despite the compensation agreement.

Asked about the compensation settlement and the legal proceedings, the health minister said that the government would appoint a lawyer to handle the matter and make appropriate recommendations based on the investigation findings and subsequent decisions.

Earlier, Sakhawat Husain had said that action against the hospital would be taken by Tuesday.