Emergency medical services at Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RMCH) were suspended on Saturday after doctors staged a protest following an alleged assault on an on-duty physician by relatives of a deceased patient.
The incident also triggered a tense standoff between hospital staff and the patient’s family, who blocked the highway in front of the hospital demanding the release of the body.
According to hospital sources, a patient admitted to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) died after relatives were allegedly unable to secure an oxygen mask in time. Following the death, the family accused hospital authorities of negligence and allegedly assaulted the physician on duty.
As the news of the assault spread, doctors gathered inside the hospital premises, suspended emergency services and staged demonstrations near the morgue, where the body was reportedly being held.
Meanwhile, grieving relatives of the deceased blocked the Rangpur–Dinajpur highway in front of the hospital, demanding immediate release of the body. Vehicular movement on the road was disrupted for some time, causing severe traffic congestion in the area.
Family members claimed that the patient died due to medical negligence and alleged that the hospital was withholding the body in an attempt to cover up the incident. They warned that the blockade would continue unless the body was handed over without delay.
Brigadier General Ashikur Rahman, director of RMCH, said discussions had been held with all parties to defuse the situation.
