Staff Reporter :
Patients continued to suffer across the country as the strike called by the intern doctors went on for the fourth day on Sunday.
The interns at different medical college hospitals continued their strike protesting the suspension of four interns of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital (SZRMCH) in Bogra over the assault of a patient’s relative.
On Sunday, more government and private medical college hospitals including Chittagong Medical College Hospital and Mymensingh Medical College Hospital joined the strike.
Patients at most government medical college hospitals will have to bear the brunt of the strike action as the intern physicians yesterday threatened not to return to work until the authorities cancel the suspension order against their four fellows of SZRMCH.
“I came to the hospital with a lot of difficulty but after reaching here I was informed that the interns are on strike again today (Sunday). In this rift between the doctors and the patients, the patient always becomes the victim. They should at least ensure separate arrangements for patients in such a situation,” a patient told journalists at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital.
Besides Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, intern doctors at other medical colleges in the country also staged demonstration and formed human chain yesterday supporting the cause of the interns’ strike in SZMCH of Bogra.
The patents’ relatives alleged that no doctors are coming to the hospital. “We have not been able to get any medicines or care. Our patient, admitted in last month, is in a critical state,” a relative of a patient admitted to a Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH) in Barisal said.
They said the admitted patients are not receiving proper care and attention due to the ongoing strike.
Interns at SZRMCH started their work abstention on Thursday protesting a Health Ministry directive suspending their four fellows — Dr Nurjahan Binte Islam Naz, Dr Md Ashiquzzaman Asif, Dr Md Kutub Uddin and Dr MA Al Mamun — for six months.
Later, interns at several medical college hospitals in Rajshahi, Barisal and Sylhet expressed solidarity with the strike of intern doctors and went on work abstention.
In Mymensingh, the intern doctors staged demonstration and formed human chain from 12:00noon to 1:00pm demanding immediate withdrawal of the suspension order of the four Bogra interns.
In Chittagong, the intern doctors of CMCH held protest rally and formed human chain from 12:00noon to 1:00pm demanding immediate withdrawal of the suspension order of the four Bogra interns.
Rashedul Islam, President, Intern Doctor Association of CMCH, said they began strike from Sunday and they will continue their programme if their demands are not met.
In Sylhet, interns at different medical college hospitals — Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, Ragib-Rabeya Medical College Hospital, Northeast Medical College Hospital and Sylhet Women’ Medical College Hospital — started their work abstention on Saturday, demanding withdrawal of the suspension order of the four Bogra interns.
In Barisal, interns at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH) in Barisal also began the strike from Saturday noon.
In Rajshahi, interns at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) abstained from work from Saturday morning to push for the same demand.
According to hospital sources, Alauddin Sarkar, 60, of Konagati in Sirajganj, was admitted to the hospital at midnight. Soon after his admission, Alauddin’s son Rauf locked into an altercation with an intern over switching on a fan.
At one stage of their argument, the intern called his colleagues, took Rauf to a separate room and beat him up. Later, the agitators locked the emergency unit of the hospital and went on an indefinite strike, citing that they were insulted by Alauddin’s relatives.
Patients at the outdoor department of SZRMCH have been suffering badly as the interns continued their work abstention for the fourth consecutive day on Sunday.
The interns formed a human chain on the hospital campus around 10:00am yesterday demanding their security at workplace.
The ‘outdoor departments’ of all the hospitals across the country also remained shut from 11:00am to 12:00pm yesterday.
