Intern doctors at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital (SZRMCH) in Bogura went on an indefinite work stoppage on Wednesday following a clash with relatives of a patient who died at the hospital.
The interns announced the programme at a press conference on the hospital premises around noon, placing four demands, including the arrest and exemplary punishment of those allegedly involved in the attack and enhanced security at the hospital.
The work abstention has disrupted treatment for patients admitted to the hospital, with many attendants alleging that doctors were not attending patients regularly.
The hospital authorities, meanwhile, sat with the intern doctors to resolve the crisis.
The interns’ other demands include deployment of adequate security personnel, including armed Ansar members, measures to control the excessive patient load, and limiting the number of attendants to one for each patient.
Speaking at the press conference, intern doctors Ritul Mondal Snigdha, Arpan and Ridwan Uddin said they would continue the work stoppage until those responsible for the attack were arrested and punished and the safety of doctors was ensured.
According to the intern doctors, a critically ill patient suffering from respiratory distress and shock was brought to the hospital on Tuesday night.
The patient was in a critical condition and died around 10pm despite doctors’ efforts to save him, they said.
Following the death, the patient’s relatives allegedly attacked doctors and interns on duty, leaving around 15 intern doctors injured, according to the interns.
They said at least six of the injured doctors were seriously hurt and several suffered fractures.
The interns alleged that one of their colleagues was struck on the back with an intravenous-fluid stand during the attack.
They said the injury could cause serious spinal complications, including pneumothorax and permanent paralysis, and described the incident as an attempted murder.
The intern doctors also raised concerns over the hospital’s patient load, saying its bed capacity had been increased to 1,800 without a corresponding increase in manpower.
They said doctors were being forced to treat far more patients than the hospital was designed to handle.
“In a unit where there should be no more than 20 patients, we sometimes have to treat around 120,” they said.
The interns also alleged that despite the presence of Ansar personnel and a police outpost at the hospital, they did not receive prompt security assistance when the attack took place.
They demanded effective security arrangements and immediate police response to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The work abstention has left patients and their attendants in distress.
Chhayad Ali, whose wife is undergoing treatment at the hospital, said doctors had largely stopped attending patients after the incident.
“Doctors came for a round once this morning and then left. They have not provided any further treatment. Only nurses are here now,” he said.
He said his wife had been admitted with a wound on her foot and had also undergone toenail removal.
Another attendant, Ashik, said doctors had been scarcely visible since Tuesday night.
“They are not coming regularly. Mostly, only nurses are attending to patients,” he said.
However, another attendant, Nitai, urged both sides to show restraint.
“The death of a family member can make relatives emotional. If someone said one or two things out of grief, doctors should also have handled the matter with tolerance,” he said.
But he said the situation later escalated into an altercation following an argument.
“We want other patients to receive proper treatment. Many people should not suffer because of one incident. We want doctors to return to work,” Nitai said.
Manzur-E-Morshed, deputy director of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital, said the authorities were holding discussions with the intern doctors.
“We are discussing the issue. We will be able to provide details after the discussion,” he said.
