Rashida was down with acute pain in her lower abdomen. Her husband accompanying her she is ushered into a clinic allegedly by a broker. Mofiz is told by the clinic authorities that his wife had a tumour in her ovary which needed to be removed by operation. Accordingly, they take her to the operation theatre and apply anaesthesia on her. Half an hour later, she is wheeled out of the OT as the 'doctor hadn't turned up.' Then carted back on to the operation table, she is again put under anaesthesia. A medical officer of Paba Upazila Health and Family Welfare Centre then operates upon her.

A probe conducted by a three-member body led by Rajshahi civil surgeon has revealed the following: no laboratory tests were carried out before the operation; somebody 'not specialised in surgery' operated upon her; the patient developed 'cerebral hypocria' due to anaesthesia applied twice within a short interval; and last but not least, the clinic was an unregistered one. It is worthwhile to note that the inquest revealing as it has proved though, took place after a complaint was lodged by the aggrieved husband. In other words, there is no mechanism whereby such gross violation of professional ethic and duty would be automatically noted and remedial action taken in good time. It turned out to be a dangerous medical condition for the patient under the apparent care of a government doctor without anybody in authority knowing it.

Rashida's plight is a ringing indictment on the mushrooming spurious clinics playing foul with medical ethics and human lives without any supervisory authority making sure that such acts are punished and the unregistered clinics put out of business. The government must ensure that the family is compensated for this heinous medical disservice to a citizen.