Intern doctors at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital (SZMCH) in Bogura have temporarily withdrawn their strike after nearly 40 hours. The strike was enforced following an attack on an intern doctor over the death of a patient.
Manzur-A-Morshed, deputy director of SZMCH, confirmed the development during a press briefing around 3:45pm today at the hospital premises.
The strike began after a clash broke out around 10:00pm on Tuesday following the death of 55-year-old Abdul Malek of Sadar upazila. The clash was between the deceased’s relatives and an intern doctor. The incident left six relatives of Malek and at least 17 intern doctors injured.
Intern doctors had been observing a work abstention, pressing for a four-point demand. As their demands remained unmet, they suspended medical services across all wards and the outpatient department from 10:00am to 2:00pm today. Nurses resumed services after 2:00pm.
Meanwhile, after 12:00pm, local leaders, including the Bogura deputy commissioner, district council administrator, superintendent of police, medical college professors, Bogura city corporation administrator, and several ruling party political leaders, held a meeting with the intern doctors.
Manzur-A-Morshed told journalists that discussions focused on setting up a dedicated police outpost to enhance security for doctors, expelling Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leaders and activists involved in the attack on doctors, increasing hospital manpower, and deploying armed Ansar members.
He added that the Bogura administration and political leaders assured the intern doctors of prompt implementation of their demands, affirming their commitment to fulfilling those demands so that quality treatment could be provided to patients with full effort starting today.
When asked about the temporary withdrawal of the strike, SZMCH intern doctor Ritul Mondal Snigdho told The Daily Star that some of their colleagues had temporarily withdrawn the work stoppage and would join work starting this afternoon or evening.
Regarding the attack on the doctors, hospital authorities filed a case with Sadar Police Station yesterday, naming seven individuals and citing another eight to 10 unidentified persons.
Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Ibrahim Ali said that six of the accused were arrested and sent to jail through the court on the same day.
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Photo: Star
Faruk Hossain, the son of a patient admitted on the third floor, said that his father was admitted with diabetes and sodium deficiency. Although the doctor prescribed four tests, they could not conduct any tests until 3:00pm due to the absence of pathology staff since morning.
An official working at the SZMCH outpatient department, seeking anonymity, told The Daily Star that intern doctors initially closed the outpatient ticket counter after 9:00am. Later, they shut all hospital gates and suspended all internal medical services, a situation the official observed until 12:00pm.
Due to the closure of the outpatient department, many patients who travelled from distant areas had to return without treatment.
Arafat Hossain from Shibganj upazila of Bogura told The Daily Star that he had brought his mother to the hospital in the morning to consult a doctor for her long-standing knee pain. However, as the outpatient ticket counter was closed in the morning, he had to return home with his mother after witnessing doctors demonstrating outside the hospital.
On the other hand, the Bogura city unit of Chhatra Dal today expelled five leaders and activists from their organisational posts for their involvement in the attack on intern doctors.
The expelled individuals are Ward-18 Convenor Md Nafiul Islam, Senior Joint Convenor Md Monir Hossain, Joint Convenor Md Pranto Islam, member Rakibul Hasan, and Ward-19 Chhatra Dal Assistant Organisational Secretary SM Shihab.
