DMCH director confined in office for 2hrs as doctors, students demand resignation
Hospital employees stage counter-protest over alleged assault on staff member; health officials intervene to ease tensions.
Highlights:
- Doctors and students occupied the director's office from 12pm to 2pm
- Protesters demanded the resignation of Brig Gen Asaduzzaman
- Hospital employees staged a counter-protest over an alleged assault
- Health ministry officials intervened to defuse the tension
A group of doctors and students of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) confined its director, Brig Gen Md Asaduzzaman, to his office for two hours today (11 August), demanding his resignation.
The protestors stayed inside the director's office from around 12pm to 2pm.
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The protesters alleged that Asaduzzaman, who was appointed during the then-Awami League government, is involved in corruption.
Dr Saiful Alam Badsha, a doctor participating in the protest and joint general secretary of Jatiyotabadi Chhatra Dal, alleged that the director had obstructed doctors from providing treatment to those injured during the 2024 July Uprising.
He also alleged that the director was involved in corruption in collusion with an official and had played a role in preventing the official's transfer.
He further said the protesters would continue their sit-in until the director resigns.
Meanwhile, Class III and IV employees staged a counter-sit-in in the hospital's administrative area, demanding justice over the alleged assault of a staff member and action against those responsible.
Later, Health Ministry Secretary Md Kamruzzaman Chowdhury, Directorate General of Health Services Acting Director General Prof Dr Prabhat Chandra Biswas and Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) Secretary General Dr Md Zahirul Islam Shakil intervened.
Following a meeting with the parties concerned, the doctors and students left the director's office. The employees later withdrew their sit-in.
Speaking after the meeting, Secretary Kamruzzaman said they went to the director's office to ease tensions between the doctors and employees.
"The doctors were persuaded to leave the office. Later, the employees were also asked to leave," he said.
He also said the ministry would hold a meeting on the issue and expressed hope that the crisis would be resolved soon.
This reporter contacted the director by phone several times for his comment, but he did not respond.
