PROTESTERS injured during the student-mass uprising in July-August that toppled the autocratic Awami League government on August 5 having not received adequate support for treatment and rehabilitation from the interim government is unacceptable. About 30,000 people, including many students, were injured in the uprising while at least 708 died, according to a preliminary Directorate General of Health Services investigation. The health affairs sub-committee of the Students against Discrimination, however, enlists 1,581 people having died. Dozens of the injured are being cared for in hospital and some of them are still in critical condition. One injured protester died on November 14 in Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka. Many had to be amputated while many have lost their eyesight. On November 13, dozens of injured July protesters blocked the road in front of the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation for hours. The health and family welfare adviser went there to check on injured protesters, being treated there but left the hospital without meeting most of the injured, which angered the protesters, who then took to the streets. A few dozen injured protesters undergoing treatment in other hospitals, including the National Institute of Opthalmology and Hospital, also joined the protests.
The injured protesters alleged that they were not receiving proper treatment in hospitals and several hospitals had discharged a number of the injured before the completion of their treatment, causing further complications. Some of the injured protesters also alleged that they had to suffer amputation because of negligence in treatment. Aggrieved patients in healthcare facilities also criticised the delay in disbursement of funds from the July Martyrs鈥� Memorial Foundation, established with Tk 100 crore in donation to support the injured and families of the people who died in the uprising. Many of the injured protesters also alleged that the government had not taken initiatives to send the critically injured abroad for proper treatment. All these are genuine grievances. Most of the injured protesters have, in fact, been struggling to receive proper treatment since the uprising while many victim families have been struggling to make their ends meet. It was expected that the interim government would prioritise the treatment and rehabilitation of the injured and families of the martyrs, but the government, even after three months, has not been able to adequately address the grievances. The government has taken some initiatives for the treatment and rehabilitation of the injured, but these are not adequate. On November 14, a delegation of the injured protesters also put forth a seven-point demand for the government. The demands include proper treatment, rehabilitation and support for the injured.
The government should, therefore, address the grievances of the injured and families of the deceased. The government should ensure that the protesters receive proper treatment and rehabilitation support. The government should also immediately disburse funds from the foundation to all the injured and families of the deceased.
