September 2, 2024
DHAKA – Following an attack on a doctor at DMCH on Saturday night, physicians went on strike at key public hospitals in the capital and in some districts yesterday, causing numerous patients to suffer.
Services at the country’s largest, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, ground to a halt in the morning.
Following a call for “complete shutdown” in the afternoon, doctors at Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, and Mugda Medical College Hospital in Dhaka and public hospitals in several districts, including Chattogram and Khulna, followed suit.
Eventually, doctors, nurses, interns, and medical students called strike in public and private hospitals nationwide.
This put patients, especially those in critical condition, in serious trouble.
However, service providers in most private and some public hospitals did not respond to the call for strike.
The health adviser yesterday evening assured the doctors of meeting their demands, but the physicians of government hospitals stuck to their guns and agreed to provide only emergency services if a law enforcer protected every doctor.
The trouble began Saturday night when Ahsanul Islam Dipto, a 24-year-old civil engineering student at the Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT), died from road crash injuries.
A doctor at DMCH was assaulted by some students who accused physicians of being negligent.
The same night, a group of people attacked an injured person inside DMCH after a clash between two groups in the Khilgaon-Sepahibagh area.
In response, DMCH doctors issued a 24-hour ultimatum for identifying and punishing the attackers. They threatened a complete shutdown of the hospital if their demands were not met.
Emergency services at DMCH resumed around 7:30pm yesterday after Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum said the attackers would be arrested within two days and brought to justice. She also assured the doctors of taking measures for workplace safety.
After a meeting with the adviser, the doctors announced that they would resume emergency services only if armed law enforcers shadow every doctor at work.
They said they would continue their strike and that the “complete shutdown” would be reinstated if their demands were not met by 8:00pm today.
The doctors demand immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of the accused involved in the attacks; deployment of armed law enforcers to protect doctors in every hospital within 24 hours; appointment of health police under the DGHS within seven days; and implementation of the health protection laws.
SUFFERINGS
Medical services and treatment at DMCH were halted around 10:00am. The counters for getting tickets, required to see a doctor, were closed.
But ambulances carrying patients continued to arrive. They were turned away.
Patients who had travelled from various parts of the country were unaware of the strike. They rushed to the outpatient departments from the emergency department but did not get any treatment.
Among them was Rezaul Karim, 11, a class-IV student from Barishal, whose right leg was gangrenous.
Rezaul was seen lying on the floor of the outpatient department while his family desperately sought treatment.
“My son is in excruciating pain. I feel helpless seeing him suffer without treatment,” said Shaheen Farazi, Rezaul’s father and a rickshaw-puller.
Shaheen said he could not afford to take his son to a private hospital.
Khairun Nahar, 53, a critical neurosurgery patient with brain and spinal issues, was referred to the DMCH from Satkhira. After not getting any help at DMCH, her family took her to another hospital where she was turned away as well.
The family eventually returned to Satkhira.
“What happened between the doctors and the patient’s friends could be resolved, but now we are suffering. If this patient dies, who will be held responsible?” said Mohammad Ali, Nahar’s husband.
“I had to pay Tk 20,000 for the ambulance, and my wife is now returning home without receiving treatment,” he said.
This correspondent visited the female ward of the neurosurgery department three times between 1:00pm and 5:00pm. There were several patients in critical condition there.
Some family members alleged that nurses were not administering injections or giving the patients pills.
“My wife has brain haemorrhage and needs emergency surgery, but the doctor has not come. The doctor prescribed some medication and injections for her, but no nurse came to the ward. I went to other wards and the nurses’ offices, but they did not show up,” said a patient’s husband around 5:00pm.
MEETING
Coordinators of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, Sarjis Alam and Hasnat Abdullah, went to the DMCH and had talks with doctors in presence of DMCH Director Brig Gen Asaduzzaman around 3:00pm.
Around 45 minutes later, the health adviser reached DMCH and had a separate meeting with a different group of doctors.
Before leaving, Hasnat told journalists, “We met the doctors to facilitate the immediate resumption of emergency services. However, the doctors remain firm on their demands … We have requested the health adviser to resolve the issue.”
After the meeting with the health adviser, the DMCH director said the hospital would resume medical activities, including treatment at the emergency, casualty, and neurosurgery departments.
He said members of the army, police, BGB, and Ansar would be deployed round-the-clock to ensure the security of the doctors.
Speaking to reporters, Abdul Ahad, resident surgeon of the Neurosurgery Department at the DMCH, said the shutdown would continue, but emergency services would be provided only if every doctor was assigned a law enforcer to protect them.
He said there would be no outpatient services but ICU and HDU services would continue.
“If the criminals who attacked doctors are not arrested … within the next 24 hours, the complete shutdown will resume at 8:00pm on Monday [today],” he said.
“The hospitals, medical centres, and routine services across the country will be suspended for the next seven days. During this time, our four-point demand, including the protection of doctors, must be met. We will only resume outpatient and routine services once our demands are met,” Ahad said.
At a briefing at the Secretariat earlier, Adviser Nurjahan Begum assured doctors that stern action would be taken against those involved in assaulting doctors at the DMCH. She said two separate investigation committees had been formed.
She also urged the doctors to end their work abstention for the sake of the patients.
As of 2:00pm yesterday, a total of 2,941 people were undergoing treatment at the DMCH. Between 1,100 and 1,200 people typically visit the emergency department for critical care, while over 3,000 people visit the outpatient department for medical services.
There were army and BGB personnel at DMCH since yesterday evening.