The families of newborns who died under unexplained circumstances at Ad-Din Medical College Hospital 10 days ago have urged the government not to close the facility after the hospital authorities offered them a compensation package.

The compensation package brought the hospital management and the victims’ families together at a press conference on Saturday, where both sides urged the government not to shut down the hospital.

Supreme Court lawyer Shishir Manir mediated the discussion and organised the press conference at a city hotel, where hospital authorities sat on his right and the victims’ families on his left.

The families highlighted the hospital’s record of providing quality and affordable healthcare services.

Several members of the victims’ families told New Age that the hospital had verbally committed to providing free education, medical treatment and employment opportunities through institutions run by the group that operates the Ad-Din Medical College Hospital.

However, senior Supreme Court lawyer Shahdeen Malik said that there was no scope for out-of-court mediation in a criminal case filed under section 304(A) of the Penal Code while the matter remained under investigation.

Shishir Manir, however, said that the mediation was possible because both parties had agreed that the hospital should not be closed in the public interest.

He said that he would not have intervened had the parties not reached such an understanding.

He also said that the mediation would not affect the ongoing criminal investigation.

‘It is my pro bono service for humanitarian reasons,’ he said.

The father of one of the deceased newborns said on Saturday that the hospital authorities had also promised to formalise their commitments in writing within two days.

At the press conference, Shishir Manir said that the management of Ad-Din Medical College Hospital had suspended two employees over alleged negligence in connection with the deaths of six newborns on May 27.

He said that the hospital would provide lifetime free treatment and compensation to the affected families.

During the press conference, both parties jointly called on the government not to close the hospital.

Shishir Manir said that the incident had occurred due to negligence and that the hospital authorities were willing to address their shortcomings and take action against those responsible.

He added that senior staff member Rekha Khatun and environmental worker Nasima Begum had been suspended over negligence.

Habibur Rahman, the father of one of the deceased newborns and the plaintiff in the criminal case filed with Ramna Police Station on behalf of the victims’ families, also attended the press conference along with the chairman of the hospital’s governing body, Md Abdus Sabur.

Habibur Rahman said that he wanted justice and punishment for those responsible, not the closure of the hospital, which provides low-cost treatment to patients.

‘My two other children were born here through normal delivery. Why this happened this time remains my question,’ he said, demanding to know the cause of the newborns’ deaths.

He said that he did not believe the hospital authorities had intentionally caused the deaths, but insisted that the reasons behind the incident must be uncovered.

The Directorate General of Health Services probe report submitted on Thursday pointed to negligence and mismanagement by the hospital authorities.

The report, however, could not specify the exact cause of the deaths.

The DGHS also issued a show-cause notice to hospital owner SK Bashir Uddin, asking why action should not be taken to shut down the hospital.

The authorities asked the hospital management to respond to the notice within 72 hours. The deadline expires at 5:00pm on Sunday.

Shishir Manir said that the hospital would respond to the DGHS through legal channels and would seek a personal hearing if its reply was not considered satisfactory.

On May 27, six apparently healthy newborns died in the hospital’s post-operative unit while under care.