Intern doctors at Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital continued their work abstention for the second consecutive day on Monday, demanding workplace safety and justice for victims injured in an attack allegedly carried out by a group of protesters on medical staff at the hospital on Sunday.
The students of the medical college also began boycotting classes from Monday to press for the same demands, while doctors, nurses, staff and officials also gave a 48-hour ultimatum to bring the attackers to book.
The intern doctors, medical students and staff at SBMCH alleged that a group of anti-discrimination students of the Healthcare Reform Movement attacked them at the hospital on Sunday, leaving 11 medical staff, including a medical officer, injured.
The Healthcare Reform Movement, on the other hand, held a rally in front of the Barishal Deputy Commissioner鈥檚 office on Monday, alleging that SBMCH staff attacked them on Sunday and demanded justice for the victims in the attack.
As both groups continued their protests, healthcare delivery from the medical college hospital was disrupted on Monday and the patients had to endure huge sufferings.
Doctors and other staff members at the hospital held a human chain in the hospital where they warned that if the attackers were not brought to book, they would announce a larger protest from Thursday.
The hospital鈥檚 ward master Jewel Chandra Shil filed a written complaint with Barishal Kotwali Police Station against 42 people, including the organiser of the movement, Mohiuddin Roni.
The hospital authorities also formed a committee to probe the incident and asked the committee to submit its report within seven working days.
SBMCH director brigadier general AKM Moshiul Munir said that healthcare services at the hospital were hampered as many employees were now on strike.
Zakir Talukder, 65, of Bakerganj, who was admitted to the hospital, said that he couldn鈥檛 meet the doctor and was going back after hearing about the strike.
Nazmun Nahar of Bina village under Swarupkathi upazila in Pirojpur district said that though a senior doctor came once in the morning, no one came later for a follow-up visit.
A senior nurse at the hospital said that the number of patients in this female medicine unit-3 was 61 on Monday, 98 on Sunday, and 124 on Saturday.
Many beds in this unit remained empty on Monday, she said.
On July 30, a group of local people started a movement demanding health system reforms.
They blocked the Dhaka-Barishal highway near Nothullabad bus terminal and Sadar Road in Barishal city for six days to press home their three-point demand, including an end to syndicate and irregularities in the country鈥檚 health sector.
On August 14, several protesters were injured while another group attacked them.