CMCH intern doctors' strike enters 2nd day; FCPS trainees join movement

The indefinite work stoppage by intern doctors at Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH), demanding implementation of a six-point charter, entered its second day today (8 June), with FCPS trainee doctors joining the movement in solidarity.

The protesting doctors have warned of a nationwide "complete shutdown" of all medical college hospitals if today's meeting with the Ministry of Health fails to yield a satisfactory decision.

Movement leaders stated that intern doctors from various public and private hospitals in Chattogram have also joined the strike in solidarity.

Speaking to The Business Standard at 11am, Dr Sakib Hossain, president of the CMCH Intern Doctors' Association, said, "Intern doctors from both government and private hospitals in Chattogram are observing the strike over the same demands. Our movement will continue until our demands are met."

Medical students at CMCH have also expressed solidarity with the movement by boycotting classes and examinations. Protesters said students from the first to fifth years are attending academic activities from 8am to 11am, but joining the demonstrations for the remainder of the day.

They have been participating in human chains and protest programmes alongside intern doctors in front of the college's main gate since yesterday.

The movement expanded further around noon when FCPS trainee doctors joined a human chain programme under the leadership of Dr Habibur Rahman Sohag, acting convener of the Post Graduate Private Doctors' Association at CMCH.

During the demonstration, the trainee doctors expressed solidarity with the intern doctors and endorsed their demands.

Intern doctor Dr Zahid Hossain Wakil said a meeting with the health secretary was scheduled today to discuss the six-point demands, warning that a complete shutdown could be announced if no effective decision emerges. He said the doctors prefer a negotiated solution but may be forced into tougher programmes due to the lack of progress.

Wakil added that the movement was gaining support from other groups of doctors, including graduate doctors.

He also said the work stoppage was affecting services across hospital wards, as intern doctors perform duties in nearly every department, with emergency and operating theatre services also impacted.

He warned that with FCPS trainee doctors joining the strike, it could severely disrupt the country's healthcare system.

The intern doctors first announced the indefinite strike during a human chain programme in front of the main building of CMC yesterday.

After joining the demonstration, Dr Habibur Rahman Sohag expressed support for the intern doctors' six-point demands, saying their concerns had long been neglected.

Protesters said trainee doctors are maintaining limited services for admitted patients, but the absence of interns has already caused partial disruptions in several wards and departments.

CMCH Director Brig Gen Mohammad Taslim Uddin said the movement is taking place nationwide and that the government has already accepted two of the six demands.

He noted that while some services are currently disrupted, a "complete shutdown" would have a much more serious impact on healthcare, expressing hope that a solution will be reached soon.

According to the intern doctors, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recently adopted a policy on FCPS (Fellowship of the College of Physicians and Surgeons) training that included provisions to halt new postings in some departments of Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, require two years of service at upazila level and provide limited merit-based allowances.

The protesters described the measures as discriminatory and unreasonable and began their movement on Thursday.

They said only partial progress had been made on one of their six demands, while no effective action had been taken on the others.

The demands include withdrawal of the 19 May directive on FCPS training and issuance of a revised policy, enactment of a Health Worker Protection Act with provisions for speedy trial, increasing the monthly allowance for intern doctors to Tk30,000 and introducing a separate pay structure for government doctors.

The protesters are also demanding that the entry age limit for the BCS Health Cadre be raised to 34 years, that the BMDC Act-2025 be enacted as a full law rather than an ordinance, that strict action be taken against individuals posing as doctors, and that admission test fees under the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council and Bangladesh Medical University be capped at Tk1,000.