l Four-point demand placed
l Case filed over assault on doctors
l Two probe bodies formed
The doctors and employees of the hospitals across the country have postponed their ‘complete shutdown’ for 24 hours following the health adviser’s assurance that action will be taken against those involved in the attack on their fellows.
The protesting doctors, however, said that during the period (from 8:00pm on Sunday to 8:00pm on Monday), only the emergency departments would remain open for service. Earlier, Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum said the doctors withdrew the shutdown programme after she assured them of proper action against those who assaulted doctors at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Sunday.
The adviser came up with this development while talking to reporters after holding a meeting with protesting doctors at DMCH.
However, the doctors said no such agreement was reached in the meeting. Considering the humanitarian aspect, they have decided to keep open the emergency services.
Doctors and other employees at all public and private hospitals across the country on Sunday had announced a ‘complete shutdown’ protesting assault on their colleagues at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and demanding immediate arrest of those involved in the attack.
Physician Abdul Ahad at the Neurosurgery Ward of the DMCH had announced the ‘shutdown’ programme on Sunday afternoon.
The protesting doctors and other employees also demanded security at their workplace.
Meanwhile, a case was filed with Shahbagh Police Station over the assault on the doctors at DMCH.
Amir Hossain, an office assistant of the hospital, filed the cases accusing four named and 50 unnamed people.
According to the case statement, a teacher of the Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT) Shahrier Anrab has been named as the prime accused. The other named accused are Paljoy, Shihab Turja, and Saimi Naz Shayan, who identified them as BUBT student.
Besides, two separate probe bodies have been formed to look into the attack on doctors and vandalism, and the allegation of negligence in treatment.
Earlier the protesting doctors and other staffs announced their strike programme with a four-point demand.
The demands are; 1. all individuals or groups involved in the attack inside DMCH must be identified and arrested within the next 24 hours and brought to justice under the Speedy Trial Act. 2. To ensure a safe workplace, security must be immediately ensured at all healthcare institutions in the country through the deployment of armed "health police". 3. To provide safe healthcare, no outsiders other than patients' visitors (visitor cardholders) should be allowed to enter the hospital, with security ensured by armed "health police", and 4. If any irregularities or negligence in patient care are observed at the hospital, appropriate action should be taken through complaints to the relevant authorities. Under no circumstances should individuals take the law into their own hands.
On the other hand, since the doctors went into the ‘complete shutdown’ programme, it was seen that services at emergency, outdoor and indoor departments at the DMCH remain suspended and all schedule operations were postponed since 9:30am, causing immense sufferings to the patients and their attendants.
Sources said, after doctors were allegedly assaulted at DMCH on Saturday, doctors and students issued a 24-hour ultimatum, threatening a complete shutdown of the hospital if their demand for the identification and punishment of the alleged attackers was not met. But the doctors and staffers started their work abstention before the end of 24-hour ultimatum they issued on Saturday night.
The doctors joined their duties on Sunday morning but they gradually left the hospital as the day progressed.
By 8:30am, medical officers at the emergency department had closed their rooms, and the emergency ticket counter also remained shut down, witnesses said.
The outdoor patients were seen gathering in front of Dhaka Medical College. Getting no doctors, most of the outdoor patients left the premises for other hospitals.
Inspector Md Bachchu Miah, in-charge of the police camp at DMCH, the medical service of emergency and other departments was suspended since 8:45am on Sunday.
As a result, immense sufferings caused to the patients in need of urgent care, he said.
A staffer on duty at outdoor department said that although some tickets were issued from the emergency service counter to patients in the early morning, but outdoor services remained completely shut.
During the visit to the hospital, it was seen that during the shutdown period, many patients were brought to the DMCH from different parts of the country. But they had to leave for other hospitals as there were no doctors to provide treatment to him.
