Move for requisition of hospital area protested
Hundreds form human chain in Barisal city
Cross sections of people join a human chain in front of Barisal Sadar General Hospital yesterday demanding withdrawal of the decision to shift Barisal divisional health directorate office to the hospital premises. Photo: STAR
Hundreds of people from different walks of life joined a human chain and held a rally in front of Barisal Sadar General Hospital yesterday protesting move for requisition of the premises of the century-old hospital to accommodate Barisal divisional health directorate office there. Transferring divisional health directorate office to the hospital premises will seriously hamper medical services for the common people at the lone public general hospital at the city centre, speakers said at the programme organised by 'health rights movement'. The hospital, established more than a hundred years ago with the donation from philanthropists, socio-political leaders as well as common people, they said. Earlier on different occasions, vested quarters tried to grab the valuable land and properties of the hospital but it failed due to strong protest and movement of people, they said. Warning of tougher programme if the decision for requisition of the premises of Barisal Sadar General Hospital is not withdrawn immediately, they said the people will foil any attempt to grab property of the hospital or hamper its medical services this time also. Among others, advocate Manabendra Batobayal, Rabeya Khatun, Akkas Hossain Shamsul Alam, Dr Mizanur Rahman, Kajal Ghosh, Sushanta Ghosh, Kazi Hiron Kumar Das Mithu, Enayet Hossain Shiplu, Nazrul Huq Nilu, Altaf Hossain Vatti, and Bandana Nath addressed the programme presided over by Dr Syed Habibur Rahman, president of the district unit of 'health rights movement'. Dr Abdur Rashid, director of Barisal Sher E Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH), said, “Sadar General Hospital is a unit of SBMCH and health directorate on Tuesday sent a letter asking us to accommodate the divisional health directorate office there.” Mushtak Al Mehedi, deputy director of divisional health office, said, “Director general of the Directorate of Health gave us written instructions to shift the divisional health directorate office from technical training centre premises to Sadar General Hospital premises within this month.”
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