Unsung heroes of July revolution: When local hospitals and doctors came to the rescue

On 4 August, a young doctor, Akib Ahmed, was in charge of the emergency section at Dr Azmal Hospital in Mirpur 10. Initially, it felt like any other day with one or two patients brought in for treatment every few hours. 

But all hell broke loose after 12 pm when deadly clashes erupted in the area. Students started to bring in fellow protesters with all kinds of bullet injuries – pellets, rubber bullets and even live ammunition. 

"At least three were hit in the head with live ammunition, two of whom were already dead. The third one whom we referred to government hospitals was in a critical condition, beyond the scope of recovery," said Akib Ahmed, the emergency medical officer.

From mid-July to August 5, Bangladesh witnessed the bloodiest mass uprising in the country's history since the Liberation War of 1971. News of deaths continues to emerge almost every day while the injured protesters languish in the hospitals.

The capital's prominent hospitals, such as Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College, National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR), National Institute of Neurosciences & Hospital and National Institute of Ophthalmology played a huge role in treating the wounded and bringing down the numbers of casualties, and they continue to do so. 

However, the role of local hospitals and doctors cannot be overstated.

From 18 July to 4 August, local hospitals provided basic treatment to hundreds of injured protesters, often ignoring pressure from local Awami League goons, mostly free of cost.

We worked solely from a humanitarian motive; even though we're a private hospital, we did not charge the victims any fees. I am grateful that I could help the patients and my hospital provided free treatment. Even one of the owners of the hospital, Dr Saber, came down and joined hands in treating the patients

On days like 19 July and 4 August, hospitals were overwhelmed with injured protesters – failing to even keep records. TBS talked to local doctors who were at the forefront, who said they were traumatised at times, but were happy to have the opportunity to help the injured.

Azmal Hospital was one of the hospitals close to the Mirpur 10 intersection where injured students were rushed to.

"We provided the injured with life-saving drugs, cleaned the wounds and administered IV saline when needed," Dr Akib said, adding, "We tried to minimise bleeding of the severely injured before sending them to specialised hospitals. That's all we could do."

"At one stage, clashes reached just outside the hospital. We had to treat the victims amid all the chaos. Even the floors were occupied by the incoming victims. All the nurses and seven doctors of the hospital joined hands and worked in the emergency section," the young doctor continued.

Akib said he had never seen such an influx of injured people. He worked for 48 hours straight.

"It was risky going outside anyway, so we stayed. Also, a shift change would have wasted time," he said.

"There was so much bleeding around, I was traumatised."

The then-ruling party men also came threatening the hospital authority not to treat the protesters, but the hospital's director, Dr Jubair Bin Zamal, ignored the threats and asked the doctors to do their best in treating the wounded. 

All the medicines, salines and treatments were provided free of cost. 

During the uprising, a total of 800-1,000 injured were given basic treatment at the hospital, Akib said. 

"It was impossible to keep records of the injured, so big was the influx," the doctor said.

A more experienced doctor, Abdul Hamid, who works at Al Helal Specialised Hospital, equated the influx of injuries with the Rana Plaza tragedy in 2013, when he worked at Gonoshasthaya Medical College as an intern. The only difference this time was, according to him, people came with bullet wounds, cuts and bruises caused directly by people.

Dr Hamid was on duty on 19 July, when Mirpur 10 and surrounding areas became a hotspot of clashes between the protesters and government elements. He shared similar experiences as Dr Akib's.

"We removed as many pellets from the bodies of the victims as we could. Many came with severe head injuries, we had to refer them to government hospitals. We treated 40-45 people that day," Hamid said.

"Each victim was attended by 4-5 people who carried them, so it was crowded here. We have only three beds in the emergency, so you can imagine the situation. Those who could sit were seated on chairs," the doctor said.

In the same hospital, on 4 August, Dr Azim was in charge of the emergency section. He says wounded protesters were brought in from 3 pm till the evening. Like the other violent days, recordkeeping was not possible. But he says an estimated 30-40 victims of violence were given primary treatment on the day.

"In many cases, we couldn't even ask for the names of the injured as there was an intense rush," Dr Azim said.

"We worked solely from a humanitarian motive; even though we're a private hospital, we did not charge the victims any fees," said the doctor, adding, "I am grateful that I could help the patients and my hospital provided free treatment."

"Even one of the owners of the hospital, Dr Saber, came down and joined hands in treating the patients," he said.

According to earlier reports, all the hospitals in the city played a similar role during the mass uprising, facing immense challenges. In some cases, ruling party goons entered the hospitals to beat up injured protesters and prevent doctors from treating them.