A senior health official has said determining the exact cause behind the deaths of six newborns at a hospital in Dhaka would be extremely difficult without conducting postmortem examinations, although the investigation can still proceed through legal channels.
After visiting Ad-Din Medical College Hospital on Wednesday, Additional Director General of Directorate General of Health Services Dr Md Zahid Raihan told reporters that postmortem examinations remain the proper legal and medical procedure in such unusual deaths.
He said investigators may struggle to identify the precise cause of the incidents without autopsies, but legal proceedings could still continue based on available evidence and surrounding circumstances.
“Without postmortem, identifying the actual incident is difficult,” he said, adding that courts may later decide how the case proceeds under the law.
Dr Raihan described the matter as highly sensitive, noting that the deceased babies were extremely small and physically fragile. Recalling conversations with grieving parents, he said some guardians questioned how postmortem procedures could be carried out on such tiny bodies.
He said many families expressed reluctance to allow autopsies on their newborns due to emotional concerns.
However, he noted that certain legal obligations still apply in cases involving abnormal or unexplained deaths.
According to the DGHS official, authorities have already discussed the issue with police officials from the Ramna Division, where the possibility of conducting postmortem examinations was raised as part of the investigation process.
He also said the inquiry into the deaths would continue even if autopsies are ultimately not carried out, and the matter could proceed through higher legal stages if necessary.
The deaths of six newborns at the hospital have drawn public attention and raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Authorities have not yet officially disclosed the exact cause of the deaths.
Health officials say further investigation and legal review will determine the next course of action.
-20260527062401.jpg)
