News Desk :
The Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) has sacked 10 physicians because they refused to join a coronavirus isolation centre built by the city corporation at Agrabad Express Road to treat Covid-19 patients.
CCC Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin fired the doctors through separate letters today, reports our local correspondent quoting Dr Selim Akther, chief health officer of the CCC.
The mayor is looking for alternatives to smoothly run the 250-bed isolation centre amid the growing number of coronavirus patients in the city, Dr Akhter said.
The 250-bed isolation centre was scheduled to start operations from yesterday but the 10 doctors’ withdrawal has thwarted the authorities’ attempts to get the isolation centre fully functional, he added.
The 10 doctors who were stationed at Memon Maternity Hospital, also operated by the CCC, were scheduled to join the isolation centre yesterday but they did not do so even though they were to be paid twice their salaries, on top of incentives and arrangements for special transport, accommodation and food facilities, Dr Akhter said.
The health official said the authority had also arranged training sessions for the selected doctors to prepare them to deal with coronavirus-infected patients, but they did not participate in the session.
“They are devoid of human sense. They took the decision to not extend a hand at a time when they got a chance to serve humanity amid a pandemic. What is the value of their [medical] degrees if it does not work for humanity?” Dr Akhter asked.
When asked about the alternatives, he said the CCC authority will call upon doctors who work at the CCC’s ward-level health clinics.
“We will call them tomorrow and arrange training for them and encourage them to join the work,” he added.
