The High Court today (6 August) directed the health secretary to issue a circular instructing all public and private hospitals and clinics across the country to provide emergency primary treatment to anyone injured in any type of accident.
The directive came from a High Court bench of Justice Md Habibul Gani and Justice Syed Mohammad Tajrul Hossain while disposing of a rule issued in a public interest litigation.
The court also ordered the government to amend the Road Transport Act, 2018, and formulate the necessary rules to ensure accident victims receive treatment at the nearest hospital or clinic without delay.
The rule stemmed from a writ petition filed in 2018 by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) following the death of Khulna businessman Ibrahim, who was allegedly denied immediate treatment at a nearby private hospital after being injured in a mugging incident in Dhaka.
Senior Advocate Manzill Murshid, counsel for the petitioner, said the court reaffirmed that the constitutional right to life under Article 32 also encompasses the right to emergency medical treatment.
He said the verdict aims to ensure that no accident victim is refused life-saving primary care at any public or private healthcare facility.
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