Interns at SBMCH to resume work today

The interns of Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH) will resume their duty today as they have decided to postpone till December 15 their indefinite strike in protest against assaulting two doctors by attendants of a patient who died at the hospital Wednesday morning.
"We will join duty on Sunday as we have postponed the strike till December 15, considering the sufferings of the people. We will resume the strike if the assaulters are not arrested within that period," Dr Mehedi Hasan, president of interns' association at the hospital, said, announcing the decision that came after a joint meeting of the leaders of interns, Bangladesh Medical Association and Swadhinata Chikitsak Parishad held at the campus Saturday afternoon.
After Karimunnesa Bibi, 60, who was admitted to the medicine ward of the hospital with a brain stroke at 2:20am on Wednesday and died at 6:30am that day, her attendants physically assaulted Tanmoy Barua, the on-duty doctor at the ward, and Mehedi Hassan, president of interns association of the hospital, alleging that the patient died due to negligence in treatment.
Demanding arrest of the attackers, the interns suspended all medical services at the hospital for an indefinite period.
The patients and their attendants underwent untold sufferings as the 24-hour medical services at the hospital virtually collapsed after the interns also shut down the outdoor services and forced senior doctors to abstain from indoor and outdoor duties, except the emergency services, from Thursday.
Dr Ferdous Ahmed Shibir, director of SBMCH, however, claimed that senior doctors like registrars and assistant registrars performed their duties and treated patients during the strike period.