Assault on interns: Osmani hospital doctors to continue strike until action by authorities

The Intern Doctors' Council of the Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital announced to continue the ongoing strike until the hospital authorities take measures to ensure the safety of the interns.

Intern doctors had a meeting with the hospital authorities on Tuesday in the incident of alleged harassment of intern doctors by the relatives of a patient.

"The meeting discussed ensuring the safety of intern doctors. The hospital authorities assured us of safety," said Simanto Majumdar, general secretary of the Intern Doctors' Council in the hospital.

"Brigadier General Mahbub Alam Bhuiyan, the director of the hospital, assured that there will be an improvement in the security system by Wednesday noon. If we see such changes by that time, we will withdraw our strike," he added.

Earlier, a patient died while undergoing treatment in ward-35 of the hospital on Monday afternoon, which relatives of the patient claimed happened due to lack of proper treatment. The relatives of the patient allegedly had an altercation with intern doctors and nurses.

Intern doctors claimed that the patient's relatives harassed them and on-duty nurses in the ward. Later, they ran to the next ward to defend themselves. The patient's relatives then vandalised the doctors' and nurses' rooms.

In connection with the vandalism, hospital authorities filed cases against four of the patients' relatives with Kotwali police station in Sylhet metropolis on Monday night. The police arrested them.

The arrestees are Abdul Malik, 54, Jewel Ahmed, 27, Sabel Ahmed, 21, and Jewel Ahmed, 20.

Including Tuesday's meeting, intern doctors had two meetings with hospital authorities since the announcement of the strike. 

The first meeting, which was held on Monday night, could not convince the interns to call off the strike as the director of the hospital was in Dhaka and could not attend the meeting.

Meanwhile, many patients and relatives of patients complained the strike disrupted the services in the hospital.

However, denying the allegations of disruption of services, Osmani Hospital Director Brigadier General Mahbubur Rahman Bhuiyan said mid-level doctors are performing additional duties. As a result, the operation of the hospital is normal.

He hopes that the intern doctors will soon call off the strike and join the work.