24-hour strike of private doctors in Chittagong, patients suffer

Due to the ongoing 24-hour strike called by medical organizations in Chittagong, the patients coming from remote areas for various tests at the diagnostic centers have suffered greatly since Tuesday morning.

As no new patients were admitted in the private clinics during the strike, the public hospitals including Chittagong Medical College (CHMEC) Hospital and Chittagong General Hospital witnessed a huge rush of patients compared to normal days.

Doctors are not seeing any patients even in their private chambers today as part of the strike.

Emergency patients suffer the most as doctors in private diagnostic centers do not perform ultrasonogram, endoscopy, colonoscopy and microscopic pathological examination.

Even, most diagnostic centers are not allowed to enroll patients for pathological and microbiological tests.

Tamannaah bint Karim came to Epic Healthcare early this morning for an endoscopy, but had to go back without being examined.

Tamanna, who came from Satkania, said, ‘I am a patient of gastritis. I went to a relative’s house in the city to see a doctor. I saw the doctor in the chamber on Sunday. He advised me to undergo various tests including abdominal endoscopy. I thought I would do the tests today and show the report to the doctor in the evening and go home tomorrow. I have left a small child at home with my mother-in-law.’

Tamanna said she had no idea about the doctors’ strike.

Zaheer Raihan, brand manager of Epic Healthcare Private Limited, was called to inquire about this, but he did not receive the call.

Doctor on duty at Patia General Hospital. The main accused in the case filed in the case of the attack of the patient’s relatives on Raktim Das was arrested and the pediatrician Dr. while on duty at the city’s Medical Center Hospital. Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA), Bangladesh Pediatric Association (BPA) and the Freedom Doctors Parishad have called a 24-hour strike in Chittagong from 6 am today to 6 am tomorrow Wednesday to demand cancellation of the bail of the accused in the case filed in the case of beating Riaz Uddin Shibulu.

As part of the strike, private clinics and diagnostic centers are not admitting or registering any new patients, and doctors are not seeing patients in private hospitals, diagnostic centers and their private chambers.

Most of the clinics and diagnostic centers are closed today due to the strike by medical organizations. Patients have to suffer as a result.

At noon, the main entrance of Sensitive Diagnostic Center and Innova Hospital Limited located in Jamal Khan area was seen closed. Many patients were seen turning away from the entrance. A security guard at the Sensitive Diagnostic Center said, ‘No patient is allowed inside.’

The same situation was observed in other private hospitals and diagnostic centers including National Hospital, Parkview Hospital, CSCR Pvt Ltd, Chevron Diagnostic Centre, Max Hospital, Medical Center Hospital and Metro Diagnostic Centre.

When Supti Barua, who was seriously ill, was taken to Parkview Hospital in Katalganj area of ​​Swajana city, the hospital authorities refused to admit her. As a result, the relatives took him to Chamek Hospital.

Supti Barua’s uncle Himel Barua expressed his anger and said, ‘Doctors try to collect their demands by holding patients hostage in the name of strike after a few days. There is no such precedent in any other civilized country in the world.

When contacted, Parkview Hospital Limited Managing Director Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said, ‘No new patients are being admitted to the hospital and no patient is being allowed to register their name for diagnostic tests in the hospital’s laboratory.’

“We advise emergency patients to go to Chamek Hospital,” he said.

Brigadier General Shamim Ahsan, director of Chamek Hospital, said, “Since private hospitals are not accepting patients, the outdoor and indoor areas of Chamek Hospital are very crowded.”

“Normally around 900 patients are admitted to Chamek Hospital every day, but today the number has reached 1,200. Our doctors and healthcare workers are working extra hard to handle the extra pressure of patients’, he added.

An official of a private hospital said on condition of anonymity that the strike was ‘forced’ on them by the doctors’ associations.

BMA Chittagong Chapter General Secretary Dr. Faisal Iqbal Chowdhury said, “Doctors, private clinics and diagnostic centers are going on strike spontaneously on the call of doctors’ organizations.”

“We have called a strike to protest the attack on doctors in the hospital,” he said.