Intern doctors at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital (SZMCH) have temporarily suspended their nearly 40-hour work strike following the permanent expulsion of five student political leaders accused of assaulting their fellows.
The decision came on Thursday afternoon after hospital authorities, law enforcement, and political representatives agreed to bolster hospital security and pursue disciplinary action.
The decision followed a three-and-a-half-hour meeting in the hospital’s conference room involving local Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) and BNP leadership, police, and district administrators.
Intern doctor Ritul Mondal Snigdha announced the strike’s suspension at a briefing following the meeting, with the formal withdrawal taking effect around 4pm on Thursday.
While the emergency ward remained functional round the clock, the intern doctors’ actions-including closing outpatient ticket counters and staging a morning sit-in-severely disrupted services, leaving hundreds of traveling patients stranded.
Resolving the standoff required addressing several key grievances of the protesting staff.
During an emergency meeting on Thursday afternoon, Bogura Deputy Commissioner Toufikur Rahman, Police Superintendent Mirza Sayem Mahmud, and SZMCH Deputy Director Dr Manzur-e-Morshed met with representatives from the Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) and the medical community.
Manzur-e-Morshed confirmed that disciplinary measures against the outsiders involved in the attack had been initiated, fulfilling a critical demand of the intern doctors.
To prevent future incidents, the hospital is establishing a round-the-clock police outpost and deploying armed Ansar personnel.
The intern doctors called the indefinite strike following the clashes around 10:30pm on Tuesday in the hospital’s medicine ward.
The altercation broke out between intern doctors and relatives of Abdul Malek, a 55-year-old patient who had passed away.
Protesters alleged that the deceased patient’s family members attacked them using iron rods and knives.
At least 21 intern doctors were injured during the attack, which also caused significant damage to medical equipment.
Following the violence, a case was registered on Wednesday with the Bogura Sadar Police Station, citing seven identified suspects and multiple unnamed individuals for theft and vandalism.
Law enforcement has since detained six individuals, who have been sent to jail by the court
