Medical students and physicians have announced a grand rally and march to the health and family welfare ministry scheduled for today with a five-point demand, including reserving the right to use the title ‘doctor’ only for the MBBS or BDS degree holders.
The protesters also announced suspension of all educational activities at the medical colleges across the country and also suspension of healthcare services at all public and private hospitals today.
Protesters under the banner ‘All general doctors and medical students’ gave the announcement after a meeting at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Tuesday.
On the day, medical students, intern doctors, post graduate doctors and senior doctors observed work abstention across the country to press their demands.
Since March 5 the physicians have been demonstrating to press their demands that also include appointment of doctors in vacant posts
Visits to DMCH found a number of healthcare providers observing work abstention, while many others were found providing services to the patients.Â
Mahfuzul Haque Chowdhury, president of Doctors United Council, a platform that is part of the movement, said that they would start tougher movement if the government failed to meet their demands.
In Chattogram, intern doctors and medical students continued their strike and class boycott for the second day on Tuesday.
Students from Chattogram Medical College, Chattogram Maa-O-Shishu Hospital Medical College, Chattogram International Medical College, Chattogram International Dental College, IAHS Medical College, Southern Medical College, BGC Trust Medical College, and Marine City Medical College formed a human chain and submitted a memorandum containing their demands to the Chattogram civil surgeon.
Sakib Hasan, a student of Chattogram Medical College, said that they closed the outdoor department from 11:00am on Tuesday.
Belayet Hossain, who brought his father from Raozan upazilla for treatment, voiced his frustration, saying, ‘What is our fault? This is their protest, but we patients are the ones suffering. I came all the way from Raozan with my father, only to find out that services are closed.’
Patients who came for outdoor services at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital also expressed frustration as the intern physicians abstained from work at the OPD on the day.
In Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, agitating medical students brought out a procession and held a rally on the campus at about noon.
The interns at the rally announced that services at the outpatient department and academic activities of the medical college would remain suspended until their demands were met.
The patients at the hospital’s inpatient department also complained of lack of services due to the strike enforced by the interns.
According to Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council Act 2010, only MBBS and BDS degree holders can use the ‘doctor’ title. But their exclusive right faced uncertainty when the students of Medical Assistant Training Schools in 2013 filed a writ petition in High Court, asking for the right to use the ‘doctor’ title before their names.
The court set today for hearing the writ for the 93rd time.
