Intern doctors at state-run medical college hospitals announce strike over 5 demands
Their demands include stricter regulations on the "doctor" title, the closure of unaccredited MATS institutions, and an increased BCS exam age limit
The intern doctors at several medical college hospitals around the country initiated a complete shutdown starting from noon today (23 February), demanding the full implementation and gazette notification of their five-point charter of demands.
As of 1:45pm, reports of the strike came in from the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH), Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) and Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital (SZRMCH) in Bogura.
The protesting intern doctors said they have joined the strike as part of a nationwide movement, which earlier announced that the complete shutdown would begin at 12pm today at all medical college hospitals across the country.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"The strike is being observed in all medical hospitals across the country starting from 12pm," said Dr Abdullah, president of the Intern Doctors' Forum at RMCH.
Their demands include stricter regulations on the "doctor" title, the closure of unaccredited MATS institutions, an increased BCS exam age limit, and immediate implementation of their five demands.
Students of Dhaka Medical College have demonstrated at the Shaheed Minar at 11am today in solidarity with all other medical colleges across the country.
In a statement issued yesterday, the students said they will hold a complete academic shutdown tomorrow and a long march to the High Court on 25 February.
The students have warned that the protests will intensify further if their demands are still not addressed.
Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) doesn't have a running batch of interns now.
Rajshahi Medical College students boycott classes, exams
As intern doctors halted all hospital services at RMCH, students from the first to the fifth year of the Rajshahi Medical College boycotted classes, exams, and all academic activities expressing solidarity.
They said the protest would continue until all five demands were met and officially gazetted.
RMCH spokesperson Dr Shankar K Biswas said the hospital had 257 intern doctors and due to their shutdown, the services they provide are being disrupted. "However, we support their fair and reasonable demands."
"Because of their strike, the pressure on our mid-level and senior doctors has increased, but they are trying their best to provide maximum service. The intern doctors have submitted a memorandum with their demands to the hospital director, who has forwarded it to the authorities," he said.
Rajshahi Medical College Principal Dr Faisal Alam said the students submitted their demand memorandum and all classes and examinations for every year from 12pm were suspended.
CMCH says medical services continue uninterrupted
Meanwhile, the CMCH authorities said medical services at the hospital had not been disrupted due to the shutdown called by intern doctors.
"Intern doctors across the country are on strike, demanding an end to the use of the 'doctor' title by medical assistants. While the intern doctors at CMCH called for a complete shutdown as part of this, medical services are continuing uninterrupted. Our doctors are on duty in every ward," said Brigadier General Taslim Uddin, director of CMCH.
Meanwhile, the intern doctors held a human chain programme in front of the hospital at noon.
During the programme, they demanded that only MBBS and BDS degree holders in Bangladesh should be allowed to use the "Doctor" title.
They alleged that medical assistants' misuse of the "Doctor" title has led to improper treatments and deteriorated the country's healthcare system. Patients are being deceived, and MBBS doctors are being defamed.
The protesters urged the authorities to take immediate action to prohibit medical assistants from using the "Doctor" title.
Intern doctors block Dhaka-Rangpur highway in Bogura
Intern doctors in Bogura blocked the Dhaka-Rangpur highway for an hour this morning to push for the five demands.
According to local sources, intern doctors and students from SZRMCH blocked the highway in front of their institution in the Shilimpur area, bringing traffic to a standstill.
Speaking at the protest rally, SZRMCH Intern Doctors' Association President Dr Al Shahriar Khan Akash and Senior Vice President Dr Sohanur Rahman Sohan said ensuring people's fundamental right to healthcare is impossible without resolving the ongoing disorder in the health sector.
They demanded the implementation of a law to protect doctors and called for any attacks on doctors related to medical treatment to be settled in a fast-track court.
Additionally, they urged authorities to take strict action, including compensation measures, against the spread of false news about doctors and medical practices without proper investigation.
Following the protest, the intern doctors announced a complete shutdown of hospital services starting Monday, while students declared a shutdown of academic activities at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College.
They also warned of stricter measures if their demands are not met by the court's 25 February ruling.
KMCH interns observe 'complete shutdown'
Medical interns at the Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) also started a complete shutdown today, demanding the fulfillment of their five-point demand, reports UNB.
Emergency services, surgeries and outpatient care will, however, remain outside the purview of the movement.
Dr Arafat Hossain, president of the KMCH Intern Doctors' Association (IDA), said the Sheikh Hasina-led government had begun providing registration to Medical Assistant Training School (MATS) graduates through Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) which is illegal and detrimental to the healthcare sector.
"We, the intern doctors, have placed our five-point demand to reform the healthcare sector. We will continue our indefinite work abstention until our demands are met," he said.
Dr Mizanur Rahman, assistant director of KMCH, said, "The interns are protesting over a national issue, and their demands have the merit. But we are ensuring that patient care is not hampered.
"Senior-level doctors, including assistant registrars, honorary medical officers, and medical officers, have been instructed to remain active and available to provide uninterrupted medical services."
What are the five demands?
The first demand among the five made by the intern doctors is the withdrawal of the writ petition against the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) and the granting of BMDC registration to only the MBBS and BDS degree holders.
They also demanded recruiting 10,000 doctors to resolve the shortage of doctors in the health sector and fill vacant positions. They asked for a separate health commission to reinstate the previous system of appointing doctors in the 6th grade. Additionally, 4,000 to 5,000 doctors should be recruited annually to maintain balance in the healthcare sector, said the intern doctors.
The intern doctors also demanded increasing the age limit for doctors appearing in the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examinations to 34 years.
They demanded all MATS and "substandard" public and private medical colleges" to be shut down. The intern doctors said the sub-assistant community medical officer (SACMO) title for MATS students should be abolished, and they should be appointed as medical assistants.
They said the MATS students should be redirected to paramedics, and the MATS programme should be completely phased out. The intern doctors also demanded the effective implementation of the Doctor Protection Act.
