Protesting postgraduate trainees, intern doctors to meet health minister tomorrow
They will decide whether to return to work after discussing with the minister
A delegation of protesting postgraduate trainees and intern doctors will meet with Health Minister Dr Samanta Lal Sen tomorrow (28 March) to press home their demands regarding payment of arrears and allowance hikes.
Dr Jabir Hossain, president of the Post Graduate Private Trainee Doctors Association, told The Business Standard, "A 20-member delegation will meet with the health minister tomorrow. We will decide whether to return to work after discussing with the minister."
He stated that the protesters will stage a sit-in programme in front of the National Shaheed Minar at 11:00am, followed by a meeting with the minister at 2:00pm.
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Dr Mahmudul Hasan Yusuf, intern doctor, Dhaka Medical College told TBS that an intern doctor from every medical college will meet with the minister on Thursday.
"A decision whether the strike will be withdrawn or Dhaka Medical College will also participate in the strike will be made after the meeting," he said.
Earlier, the post-graduate trainees and intern doctors went on a 48-hour strike at all government medical college hospitals across the country over payment of arrears and allowance hikes.
Following a discussion with the health minister on 25 March, the intern doctors at Dhaka Medical College Hospital called off their strike. However, the intern doctors of other medical colleges and hospitals are continuing their strike.
The strike by postgraduate and intern doctors has impacted medical services in government hospitals.
Brigadier General Shamim Yazdani, director at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital told TBS, "In our hospital, we currently have 246 interns and 92 postgraduate trainee doctors on duty. With a significant number of doctors on strike, our mid-level and senior doctors are experiencing increased pressure.
"Although the hospital has not halted patient admissions, and surgical operations are proceeding as usual, it is grappling with some difficulties."
Post graduate trainees went on work abstention on 23 March. Later, intern doctors also joined the protest.
Their demands include increasing the salary of intern doctors to Tk30,000 and the salary of postgraduate private trainee doctors to Tk50,000. They also call for the timely payment of dues to post graduate trainee physicians (FCPS, resident and non-resident).
Around 7,000 postgraduate trainees and 3,500 intern doctors joined the strike and abstained from discharging their duties.
