CMCH interns go on strike sine die
Interns of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) have started an indefinite strike as part of a central programme to achieve six-point demands, including withdrawal of the decision related to FCPS training, enactment of a health worker protection law.
They started an indefinite strike on Sunday. They also boycotted classes on the same demand.
The admitted patients have suffered. The six-point demands of the interns include withdrawing the decision related to FCPS training issued by the Health Education and Family Welfare Department on May 19 within 48 hours and issuing new instructions.
Enactment of a health worker protection law and its implementation through a speedy trial tribunal, fixing a monthly allowance of Tk 30,000 for interns, and formulating a separate salary structure for government doctors.
In addition, the demand was made to set the age limit for entry into the BCS health cadre at 34 years, convert the BMDC Act-2025 into a full law instead of an ordinance, and ensure legal action against people who introduce themselves as fake doctors.
At the same time, it was also demanded to set the fees for all admission tests under BMDC and Bangladesh Medical University within Tk 1,000. Intern doctors said that recently the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare took some decisions related to FCPS training.
There, new postings were stopped in some departments in Dhaka Medical College and Suhrawardy Hospitals, two years of mandatory service in upazilas, and a provision of limited merit-based allowances.
Protesting these decisions, the movement has been going on since last Thursday.
Shakib Hossain, president of the Intern Doctors Association of CMCH, said, “Although we intern doctors have started the strike, trainee doctors of CMCH Hospital are performing their duties.
Therefore, although medical services have been disrupted to some extent, they have not stopped. All types of services, including outdoor and emergency, are still operational.”
We postponed the strike considering the interests of the patients, initially giving the administration 48 hours and then another 24 hours. We are forced to observe the strike.
