Medical technologists, pharmacists and nurses on Sunday staged protests at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Shaheed M Monsur Ali Medical College, demanding implementation of grade promotions and professional reforms.
The strikes caused significant disruption, with hundreds of patients unable to access services. However, emergency services continued on a limited scale.
Medical technologists and pharmacists at Dhaka Medical College Hospital halted work for two hours from 9am to 11am, demanding promotion from grade 11 to grade 10.
The hospital’s radiology and CT scan units operated at reduced capacity, while the outpatient radiology department remained closed. Medicine supply from the hospital store was also suspended, leaving many patients waiting for hours.
Nasima Akter, 45, a patient, said, “I saw the doctor at 9am, but despite standing outside the medicine store for over an hour, I could not get my prescribed medicines.”
Another patient’s relative, Mohammed Aslam, described the confusion in the radiology department, where his father awaited an X-ray. “We arrived at 7am, but the X-ray room was closed. We don’t know when it will open,” he said.
Khaja Main Uddin Manju, president of the Bangladesh Medical Technologists Association, said the promotion file has been under review by the Ministry of Public Administration for some time. “Despite following all rules and submitting all necessary documents, senior officials continue to delay action. Diploma engineers, nurses, and agricultural diploma holders have already been promoted from grade 11 to grade 10,” he said.
Manju threatened that if their demands are not met within 48 hours, a half-day strike on 3 December and a “complete shutdown” from 4 December will be enfocred.
Simultaneously, nurses at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital staged a symbolic half-day shutdown from 10am to 12pm. They protested professional discrimination and the delay in implementing nursing and midwifery reforms.
Hundreds of nurses, carrying banners of the Bangladesh Nurses Association and Bangladesh Midwifery Society, gathered at the hospital gate, chanting slogans and demanding immediate reforms. They criticised attempts to merge the Nursing and Midwifery Directorate with other departments.
The protest leaders warned that they will begin a “complete shutdown” from 2 December if their demands are not met by 1 December.
In Sirajganj, medical technologists and pharmacists also held a two-hour strike at Shaheed M Monsur Ali Medical College from 9am to 11am, pressing for the implementation of grade 10 promotions.
The strikes across Dhaka and Sirajganj underline ongoing tensions in the public healthcare sector, affecting patient care and hospital operations.
Medical technologists and pharmacists at the 250-bed Moulvibazar General Hospital staged a protest demanding the implementation of the 10th-grade pay scale. Members of the 10th Grade Implementation Council, including working technologists, pharmacists, and students, participated in the demonstration after their long-standing demands were ignored.
The two-hour work stoppage caused significant disruption to hospital services. Lab tests, X-rays, sample collection, and pharmacy services were suspended, forcing patients to wait for hours.
Speakers at the protest, including Md Rafiqul Islam, Nand Kishore Sinha, Narendra Chandra, Abul Hossain Chowdhury, and Md Milon Hossain, said authorities had not taken any meaningful steps despite repeated requests.
The protesters warned: “If the 10th-grade implementation is not approved promptly, we will hold another work stoppage on 3 December from 8am to 12pm, followed by a full-day strike on 4 December. If necessary, we will escalate the protest further.”
The demonstrators urged the government’s relevant departments to take immediate action to meet their demands. They cautioned that failure to act could cause even greater disruption to healthcare services.
