United Hospital Gets Further Time for Compensating Victim Families

The Appellate Division on Thursday extended the stay order on a High Court directive that had asked to pay Tk 30 lakh to each of the families of four out of five victims killed in a fire at United Hospital in the capital on May 27.

A six-member bench, led by the Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, passed the order after hearing an appeal filed by the hospital authorities.

On July 21, Chamber Judge Justice Md Nuruzzaman stayed the High Court order.

Earlier on July 14, the HC directed the hospital authorities to pay the victims within 15 days.

The court did not issue any order over the family of Monir Hossain, who was also killed in the fire, as they settled the matter through out-of-court negotiations with the hospital authorities. 

On May 27, a fire broke out at the coronavirus isolation unit of the United Hospital that killed four men and one woman.

A case was filed against the hospital authorities with Gulshan Police Station on charge of "death by negligence".