Good sense must prevail

PATIENTS, their attendants, nurses and even journalists have drawn the wrath of internee doctors in recent days.  In about every case, the untoward incidents started from a mere tiff which ultimately snowballed into full-scale brawls and clashes leading to work abstentions and strikes in different hospitals of the country.  
In the major hospitals including the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) and Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College and Hospital, the public health service suffered as a result of sporadic work abstentions during the last one month enforced by doctors or nurses following quarrels between interns on the one side and patients' attendants, nurses, or journalists, on the other.
And in many cases, journalists were at the receiving end, simply because they happened to cover those incidents.
And as late as last Monday, nurses of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College and Hospital called a seven-hour work abstention protesting interns' beating of a nurse at the hospital.
It goes without saying that as a result of these incidents, doctors are now facing an image crisis. But one gets the impression from the view expressed by the general secretary of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) to the BBC that the media is responsible in some degree for the situation. This is most unfortunate.
Being dignified members of a noble profession, doctors should be able to respect people working in other professions and allow them to perform their jobs.
Sanity must prevail. Sooner the doctors would be able to get rid of their misconceptions about the media, the better would it be for both the professions.