NICVD staffer suspended over allegations of diverting patient to pvt clinic

Authorities of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and Hospital (NICVD) have suspended a ward boy following allegations that he misled a patient and sent him to a private hospital, where the patient’s condition worsened before he later died.

The punitive action was taken against Shahidul Islam after a preliminary investigation found his involvement in the alleged misconduct, NICVD Director Prof Abdul Wadud Chowdhury told The Daily Star today. Further action will be taken after completion of the probe, he added.

The move came after a private television channel aired a report on the matter. The victim’s son has also lodged a complaint over the incident, sources said.

They added that Shahidul had been leading a group allegedly involved in various irregularities, but the authorities had been unable to take action earlier due to their influence.

According to an official order, Shahidul allegedly told a patient admitted to the hospital’s emergency department on February 26 that he had no heart problem and should instead go to a private hospital. The patient, Zinnat Ali, had been admitted to the hospital around 7:30am that day.

The order states that Shahidul arranged a vehicle himself and sent the patient to the private hospital with an attendant. He allegedly claimed that he had examined the patient and told him that the problem was not related to the heart but to the head, and that he needed to be admitted to an ICU.

He also allegedly introduced himself as a senior doctor while advising the patient.

According to hospital authorities, the patient was kept at the private hospital for around two and a half hours. His condition reportedly deteriorated around 2:00pm. After being released from the private facility and brought back to NICVD, he died at around 3:20pm.

The patient’s son, Abu Huraira, later lodged a complaint against the ward boy.

The order states that Shahidul was suspended as his continued presence in the institution could disrupt discipline and damage the hospital’s reputation.