Bangladesh doctors on strike to protest assault at Dhaka hospital

NEW DELHI: Doctors in Bangladesh on Sunday announced a nationwide strike at public and private hospitals to protest the assault on medical professionals for their alleged negligence resulting in the death of a student at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) last night.

The demonstrating doctors called for immediate legal and punitive action against the perpetrators of the assault while also demanding safety at workplaces as a precondition to return to work. Doctors across the country announced a complete shutdown of all public and private hospitals starting September 1 with a four-point demand, including the arrest of those involved in the assault on doctors in Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Saturday night.

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"The sooner they accept our demand, the better. We will start giving treatment as soon as our demands are met," the protesting doctors told the media at the DMCH premises. They said the nurses also expressed solidarity with doctors and refused to join work.

Asked who would take responsibility if anyone died for lack of treatment, the protesters said the administration would be responsible for any such incident. The doctors demanded immediate security measures at all healthcare facilities in the country through the deployment of armed "health police".

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They said if any irregularities or negligence in patient care were observed at any hospital, appropriate action should be taken through complaints to relevant authorities. “Under no circumstances should individuals take the law into their own hands,” the doctors said in a statement.

The protest by medical professionals comes following the massive quota reform demonstrations that led to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.