NN Online:
Medical services at the National Institute of Ophthalmology & Hospital (NIOH) have remained suspended for the fourth consecutive day, leaving patients in distress after a clash between hospital staff and injured members of the July Uprising.
The continued shutdown has hit patients hard, especially those who travelled from outside Dhaka seeking treatment, only to return home without care.
The disruption began on Wednesday when hospital staff launched a strike, demanding enhanced security following a confrontation with July Uprising patients admitted to the facility. The tension escalated as visiting family members at the outpatient department became involved. Army personnel were deployed in the afternoon and managed to bring the situation under control by evening. However, hospital operations have remained halted since that morning.
Despite the ongoing suspension of services, patients continue to arrive—only to find the gates locked.
Among them was Halima Begum, who brought her elderly father Kala Chan from Rajbari. “We left home at 3am and arrived at 9am, only to find the hospital closed,” she told bdnews24.com. “We were here last Saturday. The doctors ordered some tests and gave us today’s appointment. We’ve already spent Tk 1,500 on travel, and we’ll have to spend the same to return. We’re poor—how can we afford this again?”
Eight-year-old Abdullah Al Noman, from Dhaka’s Bhasantek area, suffered an eye injury from a fishing hook. His family rushed him to the NIOH in a rickshaw, only to find the doors closed. After a brief wait, they redirected him to Ispahani Islamia Eye Hospital for urgent care.
With no clear resolution in sight, the prolonged suspension of services at the NIOH continues to leave critical patients without access to treatment.\
