Rejoan Raza, Fultala (Khulna) 

In a dramatic turnaround within 24 hours, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has canceled a demotion and transfer order issued against Dr Jasmine Ara, the acting Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer (UHFPO) of Phultala, Khulna.

The sudden reversal allows Dr Jasmine to retain her administrative role despite mounting allegations of corruption and mismanagement against her.

According to official documents, the DGHS issued a notification on Wednesday (October 7) transferring Dr Jasmine, a Grade-6 officer, from her administrative post in Phultala to Khulna 250-Bed Sadar Hospital as an assistant surgeon—a Grade-9 position, effectively marking a significant demotion. The order was signed by Prof Dr Jalaluddin Mohammad Rumi, Director (Administration) of the health department.

However, on Thursday (October 8), the exact same authority issued a fresh notification revoking the previous order without providing any administrative reasoning.

Department sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that Dr Jasmine wields considerable clout within the health sector due to her close ties with high-ranking officials in the administration. Officials from the Khulna Divisional Health Office declined to make any formal comments regarding the rapid issuance and cancellation of the order.

The swift political dynamic unfolded just weeks after local news outlets—including Jago News, CIN TV 24, Dainik Phultala Pratidin, and Dainik Prabaha—published investigative reports on September 16 detailing severe irregularities at the Phultala Health Complex. The reports highlighted substandard patient care, illegal trading of government medicines, and extortion through forced diagnostic tests.

Despite an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) drive and public outrage over the hospital's deteriorating services, Dr Jasmine's high-up connections appear to have shielded her from administrative action, leaving local health services in limbo.