MMCH docs assaulted over death of child
Doctors at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH) observed daylong strike yesterday, protesting attack on the doctors by the relatives of a child who died at the hospital in the morning.
Hospital sources said Nirob, 7, son of Shahidul Islam of Mashkanda High School Road area in the town, was admitted to the hospital with fever and pain in the abdomen on Tuesday night.
The child patient was diagnosed with brain infection and given an injection at around 9:30am under the supervision of Prof Azizul Haque, head of paediatrics department, hospital sources said.
After pushing the injection, the condition of the child deteriorated and he died around 10:30am. But the patient's relatives alleged that the treatment was 'wrong'.
Hearing the news of Nirob's death, his relatives and locals rushed to the hospital and attacked the on-duty doctors and nurses at Ward No 25. They also vandalised the ward, said police.
The unruly people also damaged several vehicles plying the road adjacent to the hospital, disrupting traffic on the road for half-an-hour, police said.
On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control, said Abu Fazlul Karim, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station.
Dr Motiur Rahman Bhuiyan, secretary of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) Mymensingh unit, alleged that the unruly people assaulted the on- duty doctors and nurses unnecessarily as the treatment was done rightly.
Soon after the incident, the doctors began work abstention, which continued as of filing of this report at 5:30pm.
At an emergency meeting held at noon, the doctors demanded arrest of the attackers by 11:00am today. Otherwise, they threatened to lauch a tougher agitation programme, said Dr Bhuiyan. The doctors will also observe a token strike for two hours from 11:00am today to press their demand, medical sources said.
Five squads of doctors will render services to the emergency patients at the hospital, said the BMA leader. The emergency department will remain open, meeting sources said.
Additional police have been deployed on the hospital campus to avert any further incident.
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