July-August movement injured to get lifelong free healthcare

The government will issue unique identification cards to individuals who were injured during the July-August movement. With the ID cards, they will receive free lifelong healthcare at all government hospitals nationwide.

They will also be entitled to free treatment in any private hospitals with which the government has agreements.

These decisions were made during a meeting on Thursday (14 November), held at the Secretariat with six government advisers and one special assistant to the chief adviser, and over a hundred injured individuals from the movement.

After the meeting, Professor Dr Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser in charge of the Health Ministry, said, "A written outline will be provided within the next five days."

He added, "The injured will be provided a unique ID card, and they will receive lifetime free services from all government institutions. They will also get free services in private hospitals that have agreements with the government. Special beds will be allocated for the injured in all government hospitals, and a network of hospitals in Dhaka will be established."

The details of the treatment will be finalised by December, he added.

The meeting, chaired by Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum, also included other advisers – Farida Akhter, Md Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, Sharmin Murshid, Mahfuz Alam – along with the convener of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, Hasnat Abdullah, and senior officials from various healthcare organisations and hospitals.

The meeting follows a protest held on Wednesday by a section of the injured in front of the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR) demanding better medical care and rehabilitation. 

Their protests continued late into the night, and they agreed to return to the hospital after four interim government advisers assured them of a meeting with their representatives at noon the following day.

On Thursday, a 50-member delegation from the protestors came to the Secretariat and gathered in the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs, but some of them announced a boycott of the meeting after one individual claimed to be their coordinator. 

They later decided to continue the boycott, with one protestor, Hillol, criticising the government's handling of their treatment. 

He pointed out that the government has been more focused on appointing advisers and secretaries rather than addressing the needs of the injured.

He said, "I am here today at the Secretariat and I see people who were not part of the hospital protest, which shows politics is being played out here."

Despite this, the meeting eventually began after coordination by Anti-Discrimination Student Movement leaders Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam, where the injured presented their seven demands.

The demands were – providing the same level of medical treatment to the injured protesters as ministers or advisers receive; covering the medical expenses of those who have paid for their own treatment; arranging monthly allowances and rehabilitation for a generation through honor cards for the families of martyrs and injured fighters involved in the movement; establishing a museum named the Martyrs and Injured Foundation; and holding a mass signature campaign every year from 1 July to 5 August in remembrance of the martyrs.

Other demands include forming an independent investigation committee to examine the medical files of those who lost limbs or were severely injured; if any negligence by doctors or medical staff is found, legal action should be taken; holding trials and banning the Awami League and its collaborators; and considering the opinions of martyr families and injured fighters in any future state reforms related to the 24th's people's uprising.

Regarding the demands of the injured, Farida Akhter, adviser to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock said, "They are not just seeking treatment. Many of them were the sole breadwinners of their families. Some even took loans to support their families, and now they are under pressure to pay back the debts. They are seeking rehabilitation, which is a very reasonable demand. We hope that we will come to a solution.

"We do not want any negligence when it comes to the wounded from the mass uprising. We are indebted to them, and we will do everything we can to support them," she told reporters Thursday after a meeting with officials at the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute in Savar. 

'BNP to stand by injured' 

BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed says they would ensure rehabilitation of those injured in the July-August mass uprising, stating that all injured activists would be supported if his party took on the country's leadership in the future.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday at NITOR, Salahuddin emphasised his commitment to the injured, noting that a financial assistance of Tk5 lakh had been provided on behalf of BNP's Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman.

"Tarique Rahman has instructed us to stand by the injured. He extended financial aid of Tk5 lakh, which I am here to deliver on Wednesday night," he added. 

He urged the government to quickly identify critically injured individuals, particularly those who have lost their sight or need treatments not available in the country, and send them abroad for proper care."