Healthcare services at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) came to a halt on Saturday following confrontation between two rival groups of physicians causing tremendous sufferings to the patients.
Hundreds of patients, who had arrived at the hospital since morning for treatment, were denied of medical services as Out Patients Department (OPD) was dysfunctional.
Shamsul Islam, who has been suffering from different diseases, arrived at BSMMU at 11:30am from Feni along with his son. But they failed to meet any doctor. Even they could not collect hospital tickets.
“My father is a sick person. We came from Feni for my father’s treatment. But our luck is not good. The doctors’ movement made our attempt fruitless,” Mobarak Hossain, the son of Shamsul Islam, told The New Nation on Saturday.
“We have also not enough money to admit my father in a private hospital. We must return home as there is no relative to stay in the city. We do not also know how many days we have to wait. It is unexpected,” he said.
Kalam Mia, a private service holder who comes from Kamrangirchar, said the doctor asked him to come on Saturday to give him date of the operation. He managed money and granted leave from his owner. But he failed to meet the doctor. He does not know what he should do now.
“We are patients. We have been carrying acute pain with various diseases. But the doctors are locked into clashes for their power. We never expect it from the doctors,” he said.
On Saturday, the supporters of BSMMU Vice-Chancellor Dr Kamrul Hasan Khan and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor ASM Zakaria Swapan started agitation around 11:00am.
They brought out separate processions at Battala Chattar inside the campus and paraded different points of the university. At one stage some doctors of VC group hurled abusive words at Pro-VC groups. They also locked into chase and counter chase.
The members of Pro-VC group demanded punishment to those culprits who assaulted Professor ASM Zakaria Swapan. They also demanded to form a neutral probe committee to investigate the forgery in nurse appointment.
The BSMMU authorities in an emergency meeting on Saturday banned all the rallies and processions on the campus just after the chase and counter chase.
Meanwhile, BSMMU Vice-Chancellor Dr Kamrul Hasan Khan called a press conference yesterday in the university’s conference hall and said that the Health Minister would resolve the ongoing problem.
“We held a Deans’ Committee Meeting. We talked to the Health Minister about the BSMMU’s problem. He assured us that he would take initiative to resolve the crisis after reaching Dhaka from Bogra,” the VC said.
It was alleged that the VC of BSMMU assaulted a pro-VC of the institution over publishing of a report on nurses’ recruitment in a Bangla daily on January 19.
“The VC pushed me in the chest and pressed against a wall at a meeting in his conference room where the proctor of the university also verbally abused me,” Pro-VC [Academic] Prof ASM Zakaria Swapan alleged.
Both the VC and the Proctor Professor Habibur Rahman Dulal denied the allegations.
“It is a blatant lie. Why will I assault him? I only wanted to pacify the pro-VC who had an altercation with the proctor during a meeting,” said the VC.
The proctor alleged that the pro-VC along with several others went to his office to beat him up.
Pro-VC Swapan, however, refuted the allegation.
At the meeting chaired by the VC, the pro-VC asked the proctor to leave as he was not entitled, prompting the proctor to refuse and engage in a conflict, meeting sources said.
Prof Sharfuddin Ahmed, another pro-VC (administration), who was at the meeting, said they became embarrassed over the incident.
The factions engaged in chase and counter-chase on the campus following the incident, the police official said.
