Doctors have called a strike across the country after stopping medical services at Dhaka Medical College Hospital to protest the beating of doctors and demanding safety.
Abdul Ahad, the hospital registrar (neuro surgery green unit) on behalf of the doctors of Dhaka Medical announced this ‘complete shutdown’ program on Sunday and said, “We are announcing a strike program across the country.”
Nurses and employees of Dhaka Medical also expressed solidarity with this movement of doctors. On behalf of the nurses, Jamal Uddin Badsha said, “We are expressing solidarity with the doctors. Our demand is to ensure the safety of nurses at all workplaces.”
Dhaka Medical College Hospital was attacked and beaten three times on Saturday night. After that, the intern doctors stopped working at night. Medical services were stopped in all departments of the hospital from Sunday morning as other doctors joined their strike.
Apart from arresting and punishing the attackers, the doctors made two demands including ensuring the safety of doctors and patients across the country. But in the afternoon, all medical centers across the country announced a ‘complete shutdown’ and made a six-point demand.
Dr. Abdul Ahad said, “The incidents that happened during the anti-discrimination student movement, how much service have we given all over Bangladesh by risking our lives. Besides medical services, doctors have bought medicines from their own pockets. They have given food, 24-hour, 72-hour medical care. gave.”
He said, “We are doctors, we are servants of humanity, we are part of the anti-discrimination student movement.” Describing the incident on Saturday night, the surgeon said, “The first incident was in our neurosurgery department. A resident doctor goes to the operation theater to perform the operation. The patient pulls him out and assaults him, killing the doctor.
“Another of our doctors went there to save him, then attacked him too. He was brought by the collar from the front of the operation theater number 201 in front of the director sir. Even here they did not give up after beating. He was sitting as the chair of PA in Sir’s office. Here too he was attacked.
Dr. pointed out that the two demands were not fulfilled. Ahad said, “We sat in the meeting, two decisions, those who attacked our doctors, they should be arrested immediately and we should ensure their security.
“We who provide emergency services, you see how many people live there. We will have enough army police and other forces to provide emergency services. With Arms will be there in person. But the Dhaka Medical Administration has failed to do this.”
The registrar said, “Two more incidents took place yesterday night, one incident was that a group attacked another group outside. That group came to the hospital for treatment. They came to the Dhaka Medical College Emergency to seek treatment. The opposing party was inside the emergency complex. They have been hacked to death for sure. So, we see that the patient is not safe here.
Another case, a kidney patient came to the emergency room, many emergency patients die. After death my doctor medical officer was attacked. The emergency complex Osek was vandalized. So we see no doctor patient is safe here.”
This doctor said, “Yesterday, I went back to work at 11 pm on the request of the director sir. We provide emergency services till 8 am. We were in the hospital. But we did not see any security force here. Security forces were supposed to be in front of the emergency complex. But we haven’t seen it. So we are forced to go on strike across the country from today for safety.”
