Medical services halted at Cox's Bazar District Sadar Hospital due to assault on doctor, vandalism
Relatives of the deceased accused the hospital staff of medical negligence, claiming that Aziz died immediately after being administered a pain-relieving injection
Medical services at Cox's Bazar District Sadar Hospital were suspended after a doctor was assaulted and several areas of the hospital were vandalised, following the death of a patient.
Hospital staff have announced today(11 September) that they will not resume work unless the attackers are arrested within 24 hours.
The incident occurred at around 1:30am on Tuesday night (10 September) when Abdul Aziz, a critically ill patient from Nuniachhara in Cox's Bazar, passed away while receiving treatment in the hospital's Coronary Care Unit (CCU).
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Relatives of the deceased accused the hospital staff of medical negligence, claiming that Aziz died immediately after being administered a pain-relieving injection. Angered by the death, they began to vandalise the ICU and CCU.
Dr Sajib Kazi, the on-duty physician, was also assaulted by several individuals who reportedly tried to drag him out of the hospital. He was later transferred to Chittagong Medical College Hospital in critical condition.
Other areas of the hospital were also damaged, and medical equipment was taken.
CCTV footage from the hospital shows four men attacking Dr Kazi, with two attackers already identified by hospital authorities as Asif and Mehdi, who were found to be unrelated to the deceased patient.
In response to the attack, the hospital's intern doctors suspended all medical services this morning, demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible.
Some emergency services continued for some time however, those were eventually halted by midday as protests escalated. Doctors, ward workers, and other staff joined in demonstrations, shutting down services across the hospital.
Ward master Nurul Huda said, "We will not return to work unless our security is ensured within 24 hours. It's becoming too common for medical staff to be assaulted. We need security to be guaranteed before we can resume our duties."
Dr G RM Jihadul Islam, the hospital's residential medical officer (Administration), confirmed that discussions were ongoing between hospital authorities, doctors, nurses, and student leaders.
"If no resolution is reached soon, staff may proceed with an indefinite strike," he added.
