Patients suffer outside the emergency and casualty department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital as doctors go for work abstention following assault on a physician by the relatives of a patient on Sunday. — Sanaul Haque
A sudden attack from carers had forced the Dhaka Medical College Hospital doctors to go on work abstention keeping emergency healthcare stopped for about three hours that led to intense suffering of patients on Sunday.
Carers and relatives of a patient, died of cardiac arrest in the afternoon, attacked the doctors, security personnel and hospital employees holding them responsible for the death of the patient.
At least nine people — four doctors, three Ansar members and two carers — were injured in the incident.
Hospital sources said Nawshad Ahmed, 52, a heart patient of Lalbagh area in Dhaka, was admitted to the hospital’s Coronary Care Unit on Saturday night in an unconscious state and he died at about 12:30pm on Monday.
After about an hour, 10 to 12 persons stormed into the hospital, vandalised the CCU and began to beat up the on-duty doctors, they said.
The attackers also beat up Ansar members as they tried to deter them from battering the doctors.
Doctors Shamim, Sayem, Shaon and Sumon, and Ansar members Badal Halder, Shah Alam and Anwar were injured during the attack, they said.
Among them, Dr Shamim’s right hand was broken in the attack, they added.
DMCH police outpost in-charge Bachchu Mia said Reaz, 40, and Maksud, 35, both residents of Lalbagh area, were detained for vandalising the CCU.
Following the attack, physicians, in protest, closed down all entrances to the hospital at about 2:00pm.
Meanwhile, the aggrieved physicians went to the hospital director’s room and held in a meeting in presence of Bangladesh Medical Association president Mustafa Jalal Mohiuddin, also an Awami League leader, and police officers.
The doctors decided to resume services at 5:00pm after the meeting.
A five-member investigation committee was formed and it was asked to submit a report within three working days, hospital sources confirmed.
Two physicians present at the meeting told New Age that the doctors expressed their grievances and demanded their safety at the workplace.
On completion of the meeting with the physicians at about 5:00pm, the hospital director AKM Nasiruddin told media that there was no wrong treatment to the patients.
‘But, what happened centring the death was sad. The physicians were hurt and “only” the emergency department remained closed as the physician community was attacked,’ he said.
He demanded legal action against the attackers.
Deceased Nawshed’s wife Ajmeri Ahmed alleged that her husband died for negligence of the physicians.
Meanwhile, dozens of emergency patients were seen waiting anxiously in the hospital premises to get admission to the hospital.
Source: New Age
