Staff Reporter :
Doctors across Bangladesh have suspended their ‘complete shutdown’ protest, initially called in response to the assault on physicians at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
The strike, which began on Sunday, was halted at 8:00 pm after Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum assured the arrest of the attackers and their swift trial.
The protest erupted following an incident on Sunday afternoon where a group of individuals assaulted doctors at the DMCH emergency department, blaming them for the death of a student injured in a motorcycle accident.
The medical community had announced a nationwide shutdown, affecting both public and private hospitals, including upazila and district-level facilities.
The decision to suspend the strike was influenced by assurances from the Health Adviser that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. The physicians agreed to postpone their work abstention for 24 hours, with emergency departments remaining operational.
“If the criminals who attacked the doctors are not arrested and tried within the next 24 hours, the shutdown will resume at 8:00 PM on Monday,” Abdul Ahad, resident surgeon at DMCH’s Department of Neurosurgery, stated on Sunday evening.
“Hospitals and medical centres will remain closed for the next seven days if our demands are not met.”
The doctors have outlined four key demands, including enhanced protection for healthcare workers. Should these demands be addressed, they have promised to resume outdoor and routine services.
Emergency healthcare services at DMCH resumed after more than 10 hours of disruption.
“We have now reopened emergency health services at DMCH and ensured adequate security for doctors,” Brigadier General Md. Asaduzzaman, Director of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, announced on Sunday evening.
The emergency department, along with ICU, CCU, and HDU services, have been reinstated with the presence of Army and BGB personnel.
The strike was triggered by an attack on doctors by individuals reportedly accusing them of negligence in the case of Ahsanul Islam Dipto, a 24-year-old civil engineering student from Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT).
Dipto, who was injured in a motorcycle accident on Friday night on Dhaka-Mymensingh Road, died on Saturday morning.
His classmates, enraged by his death, blamed the doctors and subsequently assaulted them in the emergency department.
A case has been filed at Shahbagh Police Station, with Amir Hossain, an office assistant at DMCH, accusing four named individuals and 50 unnamed persons.
Among the named suspects is Shahrier Anrab, a teacher at BUBT, alongside students Paljoy, Shihab Turja, and Saimi Naz Shayan.
In response to the incident, two separate probe bodies have been established to investigate the attack and allegations of treatment negligence.
Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum has pledged to take stern action against those responsible and indicated that CCTV footage will be used to identify and prosecute the attackers.
She also appealed to the doctors to resume their duties for the sake of patient care.
Sources reveal that following the accident, Dipto was admitted to DMCH where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries. The subsequent violence was triggered by accusations of negligence in his treatment.