'Complete shutdown': Doctors call nationwide work stoppage

After halting service at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, doctors have declared a nationwide work stoppage to protest the beating of doctors and to demand security.

Abdul Ahad, registrar (neuro surgery green unit) at DMCH, made the call for the ‘complete shutdown’ programme on behalf of the hospital’s doctors on Sunday afternoon.

“We have called for a work stoppage nationwide,” he said.

Three incidents of attacks and beatings occurred at DMCH on Saturday night. Intern doctors then halted work at night. Doctors in the other departments also halted work on Sunday morning in solidarity with the interns.

The doctors called for the detention and punishment of the attackers and for the security of doctors and patients to be ensured. When their demands were not met, they announced a six-point list of demands and announced the ‘complete shutdown’.

“During the Anti-discrimination Student Movement we put our lives at risk to provide service across the country,” Ahad said. “In addition to providing treatment, doctors paid out of their own pocket for medicine. We gave out food and worked for 24 hours or even 72 hours at a stretch.”

“We are doctors. We are servants of humanity, we are part of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement.”

Ahad spoke of a series of incidents at the hospital.

“We provide services. There were certain incidents yesterday. The first was when a resident doctor from our Department of Neuro Surgery went to the operation theatre to work on a patient and the patient’s people pushed him out and beat him.”

“When another doctor went to save him, he was attacked unprovoked. He was grabbed by the collar and dragged from Operation Theatre No. 201 to the director’s office. Even after beating him along the way, they did not stop. He was sitting on the chair of the PA at sir’s office and still he was attacked.”

He said that two of their demands were not met.

“We sat for a meeting. We wanted two decisions – for those who attacked our doctors to be arrested immediately and for our security to be ensured.”

“Those of us who provide emergency service – you know how many people come to the department. There isn’t sufficient army police personnel and other personnel to provide emergency service. They need to be present and armed, but the Dhaka Medical administration has failed to see to it.”

The registrar said:

“Two other incidents occurred last night. One group attacked another group outside. That group came to the hospital for treatment. They came to the Dhaka Medical College emergency department for care. Their opponents entered the emergency complex, hacked at them with machetes and made sure they were dead before leaving. So, we can see that patients are not safe either. Where can you come to get treatment? Patients are not safe here.”

“There was another incident too. A kidney patient came to the emergency room. Many patients die in the emergency room. But after the patient died, they attacked our doctor and medical officer. They vandalised the emergency complex. So we can see that neither doctors nor patients are safe.”

The doctor said: “Yesterday, at the request of the director, we went back to work at 11pm. We provided emergency service until 8am. We were at the hospital. But still we could not see any security forces. There were supposed to be security forces outside the emergency complex, but we did not see any of them. That is why, for our security, we have been forced to go for a work stoppage across the country.”