The Central Hospital management filed a case against Dr. Sangjukta Saha in a Dhaka court Monday, demanding Tk 500 crore in compensation for her defamatory statements regarding the hospital.
The lawsuit was filed at Dhaka`s First Joint District Judge`s Court by Didarul Alam, secretary of Central Hospital.
Following the hearing, Judge Md Masudul Haque accepted the case and summoned gynecologist Sangjukta, requiring her to provide a written statement challenging the claim by July 25.
According to the complaint, on June 22, Dr. Sangjukta Saha stated that the authorities of Central Hospital were accountable for the tragic deaths of Mahbuba Akter Akhi and her newborn.
During a press conference in the capital, she claimed that the authorities didn`t get her verbal or written consent when admitting Mahbuba to the hospital on June 10.
According to her, the authorities also spoke "falsely" about her attendance at the hospital. "I was not in Bangladesh at the time of Mahbuba`s operation." How could I be held accountable if I wasn`t present? The hospital bears all liability. To cover up the real incident and hide their faults, the vested quarters are using all means and are always busy misleading people of the country with false information," she said.
She argued that Akhi was not her regular patient.
Following her press conference, the Central Hospital authorities issued a legal notice to Sangjukta on June 22, demanding that she withdraw her statement blaming the hospital for Akhi and her newborn`s deaths.
The legal notice was sent on behalf of Central Hospital by Supreme Court advocate, Mohammad Mazharul Islam Sohel.
The plaintiff further claimed that Akhi was admitted to the hospital by Sangjukta, but the defendants rejected this, saying that Akhi was not a regular patient, degrading the hospital`s name, fame, and image.
Moreover, she did not withdraw her defamatory allegations issued against the hospital, said the plaintiff in his case.
Akhi died on June 18, eight days after her newborn baby died.
On June 14, her husband Yakub filed a case with Dhanmondi Police Station, accusing the doctors involved and the Central Hospital of mishandled C-section and fraud.