CLASHES at two major public hospitals were reported in national dailies on Tuesday highlighting a total break down of hospital services to patients. As news reports said physicians, TV journalists, police, patients’ relatives and even the senior hospital management are sheltering violence at hospitals instead of going on by the rule of the game and service discipline. The reports suggested a total chaotic situation at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) and Mitford Hospital, Dhaka where every faction involved in the clashes appear to have used the muscle power while they were expected to show civility and higher human values working at the higher echelons of society. The sign of anarchy is everywhere to settle scores by force at a time when destructive politics is dominating our society. We are appalled by the latest act of violence at the hospitals where peace and tranquillity were expected to dominate the environment to treat patients and save their lives. News reports said patients’ sufferings knew no bounds at RMCH and Mitford Hospital in the city as intern doctors are observing work abstention following clashes with TV journalists and patients’ relatives. The intern doctors at RMCH have beaten up over 10 journalists on Sunday night who went there to compile reports on hospital mismanagement. A patient even died at the hospital on the night as doctors left him unattended when he desperately needed oxygen. A physician reportedly stayed locked in a room close to the ward while relatives were frantically trying to secure his presence at the patient’s bedside. It is a totally inhuman attitude on the part of a physician. The presence of TV reporters’ at the hospital angered the intern doctors and they engaged in clashes with them and beat them. They also reportedly smashed their cameras and snatched away mobile phones. Reports said operation and emergency services at the RMCH are still largely unattended forcing patients to leave the hospital and seek treatment at private hospitals. The government has set up an investigation team to learn who were responsible. A similar situation was also reported at Mitford Hospital, Dhaka where intern doctors beat up three ETV reporters on Saturday when they were working on spot reporting inside the hospital. The ETV management filed a case and the metropolitan magistrate has asked DB police to investigate into the matter. Meanwhile BIRDEM hospital doctors are also observing one hour work abstention every day since the last week demanding action against a senior policeman who had assaulted several on duty doctors centering around the death of a patient. They had earlier staged noisy protests at Shahbagh crossing for two days and abandoned their duty to cause immense suffering to patients. Reports also said female students of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College and Hospital at Bogra are holding protests every day demanding security as the incidents of thefts have phenomenally increased at the dormitory threatening their personal safety. This is a situation of chaos and anarchy everywhere. We hold the view that everything appears moving now on the wrong direction. Physicians are taking to the streets leaving patients unattended. Journalists don’t enjoy so much respect for impartiality as they used to when they were seen as pure journalists and not as biased activists of one political party or another. There are doctors who are more political activists than doctors. We see wrongs have been done on all sides, and we strongly feel confrontation between doctors and journalists should not have taken place. We need nation builders for making us all peaceful, tolerant and just. The country has reached high level of anarchy under our political leadership. The change has to come from the top to the down.
