The High Court has directed all public and private hospitals and clinics across the country to ensure immediate emergency medical treatment for accident victims. The court ordered the Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to issue a clear circular to this effect without delay.
A High Court bench comprising Justice Md. Habibul Gani and Justice Syed Mohammad Tazrul Hossain passed the order on Thursday (August 6) after partially granting a rule issued on the matter.
In the same verdict, the court directed authorities to amend the Road Transport Act, 2018, and frame necessary rules mandating that medical care for all accident victims be facilitated at the nearest hospital or clinic.
Deputy Attorney General Zeeshan Haider represented the state during the hearing. Advocate Kazi Ershadul Alam appeared on behalf of the Director General of Health Services, while Senior Advocate Mostafizur Rahman represented Salauddin Hospital.
The writ petition was originally filed in the public interest by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) in 2018, following the death of Ibrahim, a auto-parts trader from Sonadanga, Khulna. Ibrahim was critically injured during a mugging incident in Sayedabad, Dhaka. He was initially taken to the nearby Salauddin Hospital, which refused treatment and referred him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where he subsequently succumbed to his injuries.
