Eleven Patients Contract Tuberculosis Following Surgery at Pabna Private Hospital

Health authorities in Pabna’s Faridpur Upazila have suspended surgical operations at a private facility after 11 patients were diagnosed with tuberculosis following procedures at the hospital. Officials suspect that the infections, which primarily affected women who underwent Caesarean sections, may have been transmitted through contaminated surgical equipment.

The infections were identified at Al-Madina Lab and Hospital, located in the Bonwari Nagar area. Patients reported that their surgical wounds failed to heal even a month after their procedures. Subsequent medical examinations at other facilities confirmed the presence of tuberculosis in the wound sites, a condition medical experts have described as extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

Pabna Civil Surgeon Abul Kalam Azad confirmed the cluster of cases and stated that an investigation is underway to determine if the infections originated from the hospital’s operating theatre. He noted that if negligence is proven, the facility will face strict legal consequences.

In response to the incident, the local health department has formed a three-member probe committee led by Ashikur Rahman, the resident medical officer of the Faridpur Upazila Health Complex. The committee has been instructed to submit its findings within seven days.

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Sabera Sultana Biswas, a gynecologist at Pabna General Hospital, suggested that the infections could have stemmed from the operating environment or from latent bacteria becoming active due to weakened immune systems following surgery. However, she emphasized that a thorough investigation is required to pinpoint the exact source of transmission.

Masud Rana, managing director of Al-Madina Lab and Hospital, claimed that the facility had identified a prior case of tuberculosis in a hernia patient four months ago. He maintained that the hospital has since conducted a comprehensive sanitization of its surgical facilities.

Several of the affected patients are currently receiving treatment at the Upazila Health Complex. Health officials continue to monitor the situation as the investigation into the hospital’s sterilization protocols and clinical standards proceeds.