The week-long strike, which involved work abstention by interns and a boycott of academic activities by students of public and private medical colleges, was called off on Sunday.
Zabir Hossain, president of the Doctors鈥� Movement for Justice鈥攚hich expressed solidarity with the strike and was actively involved in the movement鈥攖old 抖阴精品 on Sunday that they had withdrawn the strike from Sunday following a meeting with the health and family welfare adviser, Nurjahan Begum, and other officials on Saturday evening.
He said that the authorities assured them that their demands would be met.
He, however, said that they might announce fresh programmes depending on the High Court鈥檚 verdict on March 12 regarding two writ petitions filed by a Medical Assistant Training School graduate, challenging the legality of the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council Act 2010 and a related circular issued in 2013.
The interns and students, mostly from public medical colleges, have been on the strike since February 23, seeking the reservation of the title 鈥榙octor鈥� exclusively for the holders of MBBS or BDS degrees, among other demands.
On February 25, the High Court had posted for March 12 the delivery of its verdict on the two writ petitions.
One petition contests the BMDC Act that restricts the use of the title 鈥榙octor鈥� to individuals holding MBBS or dental college degree.
The other writ has challenged the legality of the 2013 BMDC circular criminalising the use of 鈥榙octor鈥� as a designation by individuals without an MBBS or BDS degree.
The other demands include an immediate halt to the registration process for MATS graduates through the Bangladesh Medical & Dental Council, which started in 2010, the closure of all training schools and substandard medical colleges, an update to the over-the-counter drug list in line with global medical standards and allowing the holders of only MBBS and BDS degrees to prescribe drugs outside the over-the-counter list, and forming a separate health commission for recruitment at the seventh-grade level.
The demands also included increasing the maximum age limit for government job entry for physicians to 34 years and implementing a law to protect doctors.
