Staff Correspondent

Doctors at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) have announced an indefinite "complete shutdown" nationwide, demanding workplace security and the arrest of those responsible for the attack on their fellow physicians.

Dr Abdul Ahad, Resident Surgeon of the DMCH Neurosurgery Department, made the announcement during a press conference at the hospital on Sunday.

Surgeon Abdul Ahad said, "Our work abstention will continue, not just at Dhaka Medical College but across the country, leading to a complete shutdown."

Addressing the media, Dr Abdul Ahad said, "As you know, several isolated incidents have occurred since Saturday. Among them, three of our doctors were beaten and dragged from the Neurosurgery Department to the director's room in the administrative block. While discussing this issue, outsiders entered the hospital and hacked someone to death. Later, they vandalised the One-Stop Emergency Centre (OSEC).”

“If such incidents continue to happen, where is our security, and how can we provide medical services to patients? We have treated the injured from the anti-discrimination student movement. But how can we offer treatment where our safety is at risk?" he added.

Dr Ahad further said that the culprits must be punished without delay and called for the army to be deployed in all upazila and district hospitals, as well as the recruitment of health police under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Earlier in the morning, DMCH doctors halted work in protest of assaults and vandalism in the hospital’s emergency department. Starting Sunday morning, doctors suspended emergency services, citing concerns over their safety.

The strike was sparked by an incident on Saturday when three doctors from the Neuro Surgery department were assaulted. Following the attack, doctors issued an ultimatum, demanding the arrest of those responsible within 24 hours. However, the doctors decided to go on strike before the deadline expired, expressing their frustration and concern for their safety.

The violence on Saturday began after the death of Ahsanul Haque Dipto, a student from the Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT), who was being treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital following a motorcycle accident in the Cantonment area. After Dipto’s death, his relatives accused the hospital staff of medical negligence and assaulted a doctor, leading to a tense standoff at the hospital that lasted from the afternoon into the night.

Further exacerbating the situation, a violent clash between two groups in the Sipahibagh area of Khilgaon on Saturday led to several injured individuals being brought to DMCH for treatment. During the incident, members of one group reportedly entered the emergency department armed with machetes, attacking the other group, leading to five people being injured.

Four people involved in the attack were detained and handed over to army personnel, said Bachu Mia, In-Charge of the DMCH police outpost.

Simultaneously, a patient who had ingested poison was declared dead by physicians in the emergency department. In response, the patient’s relatives vandalized the emergency room.

Following the repeated attacks on the hospital and doctors, the strike is being observed demanding security of the physicians and other staff members of DMCH.