The interns at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College and Hospital (SOMCH) continued their strike for the 2nd consecutive day on Wednesday protesting the attack on two of their fellows by the relatives of a patient.
They took position on the college campus and put the administrative building gate under lock and key till noon boycotting their classes and exams.
The interns blocked the road in front of the main gate of the hospital around 1 pm, causing severe traffic jam on both sides of Rikabibazar-Medical road.
Only those vehicles which were carrying patients were allowed to move on the road.
The protesting interns gave an ultimatum till Thursday morning to meet their demands.
The blockade was lifted after announcement of their ultimatum in the afternoon. However, they will continue boycotting their classes and exams.
General Secretary of Intern Physicians’ Council Dr Matiur Rahman said if the main accused are not arrested by Thursday morning, they will stop all the activities of the hospital including the outdoor patient service, emergency department and cardiac department.
SOMCH Director Brigadier Mahbubur Rahman Bhuiyan said the overall medical services are normal now.
“Several steps have been taken to strengthen the security of the hospital and the medical college and establishing a police camp here,” he added.
Osmani Hospital interns continue strike, block road
On Sunday, two relatives of a patient misbehaved with a female intern at the hospital. They were later handed over to the police.
To take revenge, relatives of the patient entered the college campus and stabbed two interns—Emon Ahmed, 24 and Rudra Nath, 22— on Monday night.
On Monday, at 10 pm all intern doctors of the hospital went on work abstention and announced to go on strike until all the attackers were arrested.
They closed all the hospital gates and took position on the main road in front of it.
On Monday night, police arrested two people—Syed Hasan Rabbi, 27, general secretary of no 3 ward of Sylhet Metropolitan unit Chhatra League and Ehsan Ahmed, 22.
They also confined the director of the hospital Brig. General Mahbubur Rahman Bhuiya to his room for one hour in the early hours of Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the interns suspended their movement around 3 am and threatened to go for movement again if their demand goes unheeded by 2 pm.
They again resumed their strike at 5 pm as they said all the culprits were not arrested as per their demand.
Two separate complaints were lodged—one by the hospital authorities and another by the college authorities– with Kotwali Model Police in connection with the attack, said Mohammad Ali, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Model Police Station.
The accused in the two cases are Dibya, Abdullah, Ehsan, Mamun, Sajan, Sujan, Sami and Saeed Hasan Rabbi.
Source: United News of Bangladesh