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Health officials in Pabna's Faridpur upazila have shut down the operating theater at Al-Modina Lab and Hospital, a private clinic, following a tuberculosis outbreak linked to patients who had undergone surgery there. The closure came after at least 12 patients tested positive for TB in recent weeks, all of whom had procedures, mostly C-sections, at the facility.

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She suffered a lot for over a month following the surgery. When I took her to Rajshahi, doctors diagnosed her with TB infection, which was preventing the wound from healing.

A three-member probe committee was established on Monday to investigate the origin of the infection. Authorities anticipate the number of cases may increase, given the high volume of surgeries recently performed at the clinic. The Daily Star spoke with five affected patients who confirmed developing symptoms after their surgeries at Al-Modina.

Taslima Khatun, 21, underwent a C-section on May 18. A month later, her surgical wound was not healing, and she was diagnosed with TB in Rajshahi. Her husband, Md Abu Rayhan, stated that Taslima had no prior TB history and is now receiving treatment. Similarly, Shushanto Kundu reported his daughter, Joya Rani, 20, contracted TB after a C-section on May 25. She has struggled for three months and requires nutritious food for recovery, which strains the family financially.

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She has not recovered in three months. While she receives free medication from the health complex, our family is struggling to afford the nutritious food required for her recovery.

Mita Khatun, 32, who gave birth at the clinic on May 2, expressed deep worry about her health and her newborn's well-being after being diagnosed with TB and experiencing severe weakness for three months. Dr. Md Rashedul Hasan Shaon, Faridpur upazila health officer, confirmed the 12 TB cases among surgical patients, with most diagnoses occurring this month after operations performed months prior.

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I have suffered from illness and severe weakness for three months. Since being diagnosed with TB, I am deeply worried about my newborn's health.

Dr. Rashedul noted that after the post-surgery infections surfaced, a show-cause notice was issued to Al-Modina Lab and Hospital, requesting the suspension of operations. However, the clinic initially continued its services. The probe committee, led by Dr. Ashikur Rahman, has been given seven working days to submit its report. The district health administration has also directed further health investigations.

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Following the post-surgery infections, we issued a show-cause notice to Al-Modina Lab and Hospital for an explanation and asked them to suspend operations, but they initially continued.