Normalcy crawls back to Osmani Medical College Hospital
23 patients die from Saturday midnight: 548 leave till yesterday morning
Interns assault daily Jugantar photojournalist Mamun Hasan as he went to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital yesterday morning.Photo: STAR
The situation at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital started returning to normal last night as some interns joined duty following a meeting of hospital authorities, doctors' representatives and administration officials. Hospital director Brig Gen Ismail Hossain chaired the 3-hour meeting from 2-30 pm. It was attended by Additional District Magistrate, Syhet Metropolitan Police Commissioner, senior teachers of the medical college, BMA (Bangladesh medical Association) president and secretary and journalists' leaders. The meeting called upon all concerned to help restore normalcy at the hospital. The hospital authorities also held a meeting with journalists at Sylhet Press Club last night. Twenty-three patients died at the hospital till about 5 pm yesterday from Saturday night, when the trouble began after an intern misbehaved with a pregnant woman. This triggered brawls between interns and patients' attendants. A total of 548 patients left the hospital during the period taking discharge certificates while over 200 others left without informing any body, sources there said. There were 1261 patients at the hospital till yesterday evening. The sources said no more patient left the hospital since yesterday afternoon. Journalists were allowed into the hospital from yesterday evening. Police were reinforced to maintain order at the hospital. The hospital director told the Daily Star yesterday evening that the situation was returning to normal. “Interns have been asked to resume duty immediately and things will be alright tomorrow (Tuesday)”, Brig Gen Ismail Hossain said. However, sufferings of patients mounted as the striking interns abstained from duty for the whole day yesterday. In the morning, they put the hospital gates under lock and key and took out processions. They also stopped people at gates. Former chief of the medical college unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir Dr. Mehdi Hasan and his party men Dr. Saidur, Dr. Ratan and Dr. Jahangir led the unruly interns, sources said. A good number of patients had to go back disappointed as they failed to enter the hospital in the face of obstruction by interns. One year-old Bablu of Shiberbazar village of Sylhet Sadar upazila died at the medical college gate as his poor parents failed to taken him inside the hospital. He was suffering from pneumonia. The interns held a rally at the emergency gate yesterday morning During the rally, some senior physicians of the hospital who went to ask them to ending the strike, were manhandled by some interns. Being stopped at the main gate, some agitated locals and attendants of patients chased interns while police resorted to baton charge on both the groups at about 12-30 PM near the hospital emergency gate. Ten persons including some interns and locals sustained minor injuries. Photographer of Dhaka-based daily Jugantor Mamun Hasan Mamun was injured as he was beaten by some interns near the emergency gate when he along with other photo journalists were taking snaps. Mamun was admitted to a private clinic. Later, the interns again held a rally in front of the office of the hospital director. The interns went unruly and swooped on patients' attendants and newsmen at the hospital Saturday night. Four newsmen were caught and confined at a room Saturday night. They were later rescued by police. They went on a wildcat strike Saturday night, held a series of processions and vandalised the hospital.
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