DOCTORS at Bangladesh Medical College Hospital (BMCH) are evidently causing havoc on patients as they continued strike for the past one-week on trivial issues. We must say there may be conflict in many issues between doctors and their parent body Bangladesh Medical Studies and Research Institute (BMSRI), but shutting the hospital services and denying treatment to patients can’t be a remedy for any ongoing crisis. As it appears tension was going on in the hospital for the past three months when some doctors lodged complaints of irregularities to Anti-Corruption Commission against some BMSRI staff. In fact the relation was sore for the past three years and the formal complaint triggered the latest crisis.
News report said teachers and hospital doctors went into strike from March 15 as BMSRI authorities removed a professor from the post of a Research Director and transferred a Medical Officer to their Uttara Hospital. As tension flared up the health Ministry has taken over the investigation from ACC, but the removal of two doctors came as a key issue to call for the work abstention. Meanwhile, patients are paying heavily for the crisis in the hospital for no fault of their own and there is evidently nobody to call for accountability from either side.
We must say who is at fault and not is not our concern; the relevant authorities will take care of it. What seriously bother us is the gross indiscipline and mindless action of the doctors denying treatment to patients in hospital beds or waiting for admission. Meanwhile many admission-seekers from outside the city are running out of cash while indoor patients remained almost unattended except limited emergency services.
It is no doubt a clear professional indiscipline and breach of medical ethics. This profession demands selfless service, not political gambling and showing of muscle power to prevail over the others. We must say our doctors must be more humane and sensible.
Only two weeks ago intern doctors paralyzed the hospital services throughout the country for several days centering the beating of a patient’s relative at Bogra Medical College Hospital. Earlier last month rival groups of ruling party affiliated doctors at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Medical University (BSMMU) took their fight in the streets forcing patients to flee as they challenged each other. Such actions are only earning bad name to doctors and adding suffering to patients.
We must say doctors are not like other professionals; they are saviours of patients in critical condition; they can’t instantly shut the door of hospitals. In our view the Health Ministry should act quickly to restore discipline in the hospital and BMSRI authorities should also take urgent steps to end the misgivings. It can’t go this way.
News report said teachers and hospital doctors went into strike from March 15 as BMSRI authorities removed a professor from the post of a Research Director and transferred a Medical Officer to their Uttara Hospital. As tension flared up the health Ministry has taken over the investigation from ACC, but the removal of two doctors came as a key issue to call for the work abstention. Meanwhile, patients are paying heavily for the crisis in the hospital for no fault of their own and there is evidently nobody to call for accountability from either side.
We must say who is at fault and not is not our concern; the relevant authorities will take care of it. What seriously bother us is the gross indiscipline and mindless action of the doctors denying treatment to patients in hospital beds or waiting for admission. Meanwhile many admission-seekers from outside the city are running out of cash while indoor patients remained almost unattended except limited emergency services.
It is no doubt a clear professional indiscipline and breach of medical ethics. This profession demands selfless service, not political gambling and showing of muscle power to prevail over the others. We must say our doctors must be more humane and sensible.
Only two weeks ago intern doctors paralyzed the hospital services throughout the country for several days centering the beating of a patient’s relative at Bogra Medical College Hospital. Earlier last month rival groups of ruling party affiliated doctors at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Medical University (BSMMU) took their fight in the streets forcing patients to flee as they challenged each other. Such actions are only earning bad name to doctors and adding suffering to patients.
We must say doctors are not like other professionals; they are saviours of patients in critical condition; they can’t instantly shut the door of hospitals. In our view the Health Ministry should act quickly to restore discipline in the hospital and BMSRI authorities should also take urgent steps to end the misgivings. It can’t go this way.
