The intern doctors of Rajshahi Medical College (Ramek) Hospital have started an indefinite strike with five-point demands including solving the shortage of medical supplies. Their program started this Wednesday from eight o'clock in the morning. Due to the disruption of medical services, the patients and their relatives suffered from faraway places.
Mukta Akhtar brought his sick father to the hospital. His father is suffering from heart disease. He said that he was in trouble because there was no doctor and he could not get the medicine prescription. Mukta said, 'What do we do now? What should I feed my father, what medicine should I give?'
The intern doctors have five-point demands—ensuring supply of necessary drugs and medical equipment, strengthening the security of doctors, controlling access of patients' relatives and opening observation rooms and casualty departments.
At noon, the intern doctors held a press conference highlighting the reasons and demands of the strike. General Secretary of Intern Doctors Society Mushfiqur Rahman said that they did not call the strike for personal interest or salary increase. For two to three months, the hospital has been facing a shortage of essential medical supplies like cannulas, micropores, normal saline and syringes. Life-saving drugs needed for newborns with seizures are also often not available in hospitals. Patients have to suffer while bringing medicines from outside.
Intern doctors complain that doctors have to face patients and relatives due to lack of necessary medicines and medical equipment. Intern doctors are exposed to unwanted situations and threats due to unrestricted access of patient's relatives and negligence of security personnel.
The president of the organization, Shahadat Mahmud, said that four to five thousand patients are admitted to the 1,300-bed hospital every day. But the government allocation and supply of medicine comes as per the prescribed number of beds. There is a shortage of medical supplies and manpower to cope with the pressure of additional patients. As the observation room and casualty department are not operational, the patient pressure is increasing in the admitted wards.
Intern doctors said that even though the hospital authorities were informed several times to solve the problem, no effective action was taken. They said they will continue the strike until concrete action is taken on the demands.
Casualty department planned to open on November 1
Sheikh Shamim Ahmed, the hospital's spokesperson, spoke to the journalists about the strike of the intern doctors around 2:30 p.m. He said that out of the five demands of the intern doctors, the director of the hospital has ordered to accept three immediately and implement them. The casualty department is scheduled to open on November 1.
The spokesperson of the hospital said that 4,500 to 5,000 patients are admitted every day. Additional patient pressure is creating constraints on medical supplies and safety. The health ministry and directorate are being contacted to solve this problem. He said the shortage of saline and syringes has already been resolved. Some supplies of other medicines and medical supplies have arrived. The rest may take about 15 days to arrive. At this time, initiatives have been taken to buy necessary medicines and medical supplies locally to avoid the crisis.
The Ministry has informed the demand for 100 more Ansar members to strengthen the security of doctors. Currently 135 Ansar members are serving in the hospital. Construction of police box in front of emergency department is going on. The spokesperson said that it could be launched within a week. He said, Ansar and police have been instructed to strictly enforce the rule of not allowing more than two relatives to enter with the patient. Departmental action will be taken against the security personnel on duty at the respective gate if anyone enters in violation of the rules.
The spokesman said that medical officers, assistant registrars and assistant professors have been instructed to perform duties in the wards and regular follow-up of patients to keep medical services running during the strike of intern doctors. Calling for the withdrawal of the strike, he said that the hospital administration does not support the agitation by holding patients hostage. They hope that the problem will be solved through discussion.
