6 Newborns Die in Dhaka Hospital in Suspected Technical Failure

(MENAFN) Six newborn infants died within hours of each other at a central Dhaka hospital Wednesday morning, triggering an urgent government investigation into what health officials believe may have been a catastrophic technical malfunction rather than a medical error.

The babies, aged one to three days, perished between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. in the post-delivery ward of Ad-Din Medical College Hospital in the Maghbazar area, according to officials from Bangladesh's Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Guardians present in the ward had complained overnight that the room had turned dangerously cold, prompting staff to switch off the air-conditioning system for approximately one hour. One infant subsequently developed complications and was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) before being returned to the ward. By early morning, all six babies had fallen critically ill and were rushed back to intensive care — where they did not survive.

DGHS Additional Director General Prof. Zahid Raihan was unequivocal in ruling out medical negligence as the cause.

"We do not think the sudden deaths of six children occurred due to treatment complications," he told reporters. "We suspect some technical issue or fault may have been responsible."

DGHS Director General Prof. Pravath Chandra Biswas said investigators discovered "a suffocating environment" inside the ward and flagged the absence of any alternative ventilation system in the event of an air-conditioning failure.

Police, the Criminal Investigation Department, and a government-appointed probe committee have all launched parallel investigations into the tragedy. Authorities said the panel has been directed to deliver its findings within 72 hours.

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