UNB, Barishal: Intern doctors at Sher-E-Bangla Medical College and Hospital (SBMCH) went on an indefinite strike on Sunday demanding improved workplace security following attacks on medical staff.
The strike began around 3:00 PM, hospital authorities confirmed in a press release issued by the Mid-Level Doctors’ Association in the evening.
The protest disrupted patient care, leaving many admitted through the emergency department without treatment, causing suffering for patients and their relatives. Earlier in the day, a group of students and activists demanding reforms in the health sector staged a demonstration at the hospital’s main gate.
During the protest, bricks reportedly thrown by the demonstrators injured three people, including a doctor.
The intern doctors had initially gone on strike on August 14 demanding enhanced workplace security. They suspended the strike after a request from the hospital director and considering patient welfare, giving the director 48 hours to address their concerns.
On Sunday, however, a group of miscreants attacked Dr. Dilip Roy, an indoor medical officer of the Medicine Department, and other staff members, throwing bricks at the hospital and creating a threatening environment.
Citing continued insecurity, the intern doctors announced an indefinite strike. Mid-Level Doctors’ Association President Dr. Shakhawat Hossain Saikat said doctors left their posts after the attacks, disrupting medical services. He added that mid-level doctors resumed only emergency services from 5:00 PM under police protection and at the special request of hospital authorities to care for critically ill patients.
SBMCH Director Brigadier General Dr. A K M Moshiul Munir said the doctors had left their posts out of fear after the attacks, leaving patients and relatives in distress. He said with police assistance, the doctors were brought back to ensure emergency services.
