MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital
Treatment hampered as most interns abstain from work
Body formed to probe Saturday night's incidents
Pregnant Ruma left on the corridor of Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital after Saturday night's incident.Photo: STAR
Treatment of patients at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital suffered greatly yesterday as most of the interns abstained from work since Saturday night's incidents. Yesterday morning, the interns staged a sit-in at the hospital protesting Saturday night's 'attack' on some interns. They later handed over a memorandum to the hospital director to press their three-point demand. These include restriction on journalists' entry to the hospital, action against those who assaulted interns and a patient's husband for attacking interns. The hospital director, Brig Gen Ismail Hossain, however told The Daily Star yesterday evening that though the interns decided for an indefinite strike in the morning, they resumed work in the afternoon at the intervention of the hospital authorities. The situation turned to normalcy, he claimed. Saturday night's incident took place in a sequel to 'misunderstanding' between a patient and some interns at the labour ward, the director claimed. “We formed a 3-member committee to probe the incidents”, he said. Prof Ekhlasur Rahman will head the team that includes Associate Professor of surgery Dr. Salehin and Assistant Director of the hospital Dr. Iqbal. The committee has been asked to file their report within three days, the director said. Meanwhile, the interns allegedly forced the patient--Rumi Sarker Ruma-- out from the hospital at about midnight on Saturday, sources claimed. But the hospital director claimed that the patient left the hospital without informing any body. Journalists at a meeting at Sylhet Press Club yesterday afternoon protested Saturday night's incident in which interns swooped on newsmen and photographers. Its president Muktabis Un Noor was in the chair. The newsmen had gone to the hospital after hearing that interns had assaulted patients. A police official at Kotwali police station said yesterday evening that filing of three cases by some newsmen of three local dailies was in progress in connection with the attack on newsmen. On the other hand, interns also filed a GD with Sylhet Kotwali PS against some newsmen. At least 10 persons, including four newsmen were injured in the incidents. Sources said that some attendants of a pregnant woman --Rumi Sarker Ruma-- raised protest as a female intern started checking the lady at an open space and in presence of attendants of other patients at the labour ward at about 5:30 PM Saturday. They asked her to take the patient to inside. Intern Alo became angry and knocked the patient on to the floor from the trolley. At about 9 PM Alo, along with some her fellow interns went back to the ward and swooped on Ruma's husband Abdullah. A clash ensued. Meanwhile, some newsmen reached the hospital. The interns snatched away the camera from the local daily Jugabhery's photographer and broke it. They beat three newsmen and kept them confined at a room. On information, a police reached the hospital and picked up some of the interns and outsiders and freed the newsmen. Patient Ruma and her husband Abdullah was then taken under police custody at the hospital. The interns came out of wards and took out a procession at the hospital and on the college campus at about 10:15 PM protesting 'attack' on them.
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