The authorities of LabAid, a private clinic, admitted their negligence in treating Dhaka University teacher Mridul Kanti Chakrabarti, and agreed to pay compensation of Tk 50 lakh to his family.
The clinic's managing director, Mahbubul Huq, admitted their negligence at a meeting with the Dhaka University authorities in the vice-chancellor's office.
Students of the DU music department were insisting that the LabAid authorities should apologise unconditionally to the nation for withholding treatment from music teacher Mridul Kanti Chakrabarti, which led to his death.
The students began demonstrating outside vice-chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique's office when Mahbubul Haque, LabAid's MD, went there at about 3:00pm.
DU proctor KM Saiful Islam said that after a long discussion the LabAid's managing director agreed to pay compensation of Tk 50 lakh to Mridul's family.
'We have done our duty. Now the issue is under the court's jurisdiction,' said the proctor.
But the students were not happy. 'We wanted a public apology. But our teachers accepted their informal admission of negligence which resulted in the death of our teacher,' said Atiqur Rahman Tamal, a student of the music department.
The students of the departments of music and theatre have been demonstrating for the past three days against LabAid authorities.
They said that their teacher died because he was denied treatment in time as his family's money fell short by Tk 1,000 of the fixed rate for that particular treatment. The clinic's staff had asked them to pay Tk 11,000, but at that time the family had only Tk 10,000 in hand, and had assured them that they would pay the remaining amount afterwards.
The students had three demands, including punishment of the physicians who neglected Mridul, public apology by LabAid for Mridul's death, and payment of compensation to his family.
Source : Nge Age
