Doctors agree to halt 'shutdown' till 8pm tomorrow after health adviser assures arrest of attackers

The doctors have agreed to halt their nationwide complete shutdown programme till 8pm tomorrow after Health and Family Welfare Adviser Nurjahan Begum assured them of arresting those involved in yesterday's attack within 24 hours.

The decision was announced after a group of doctors held a meeting with the health adviser this evening (1 September).

After the meeting, the doctors told a press briefing in front of the DMCH administration building, "Within the next 24 hours, only emergency department services will be provided in each emergency department subject to security provided to each duty doctor by a law enforcement officer."

Apart from this, indoor and outdoor medical services will be suspended, said the doctors, adding that ICU and HDU services remained ongoing.

"If they [the government] send security officers within five minutes, we will start providing medical services [immediately]. Health services will go on like this for the next seven days. 

"Our shutdown programme will remain in force...We will suspend our movement only if health police and health protection law are formed within the next seven days," the doctors said. 

During a press conference at the Secretariat earlier, she announced two separate probe bodies have been formed to look into the attack on doctors, the incident of vandalism, and the allegation of negligence in treatment.

She urged the doctors to withdraw their "shutdown" enforced across the country, protesting attacks on physicians and vandalism carried out by relatives of a patient at the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).

"You [doctors] are like my children. Please withdraw the shutdown as you have undertaken the responsibility of providing healthcare services to the people. You have made sacrifices. Please, prove again that you are here to serve the people... This is my humble request to you," she said.

Doctors across the country announced a complete shutdown of all public and private hospitals starting today (1 September) with a four-point demand, including the arrest of those involved in the assault on doctors at DMCH yesterday.

The doctors said the shutdown will continue until their demands are met.

When asked about who will take responsibility if anyone die for a lack of treatment during the shutdown, protesting doctors said the administration will be responsible for any such incident.

"The sooner they will accept our demand, the better. We will start giving treatment as soon as our demands are met," the doctors said.

The four-point demands presented by the doctors are:

• All individuals or groups involved in the attack inside DMCH must be identified and arrested within the next 24 hours and brought to justice under the Speedy Trial Act.
• To ensure a safe workplace, security must be immediately ensured at all healthcare institutions in the country through the deployment of armed "health police".
• To provide safe healthcare, no outsiders other than patients' visitors (visitor cardholders) should be allowed to enter the hospital, with security ensured by armed "health police".
• If any irregularities or negligence in patient care are observed at the hospital, appropriate action should be taken through complaints to the relevant authorities. Under no circumstances should individuals take the law into their own hands.

Earlier today, the DMCH doctors went on a strike to protest the attack on doctors on the DMCH premises.