Patients suffer as interns at Barisal medical on strike
Wildcat strike by interns yesterday paralysed Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital.
Hundreds of patients suffered for lack of medical services for all the day yesterday.
The lone 500-bed specialised hospital in the division having over one thousand patients depends mostly on its 150 interns for round-the-clock treatment, medical care and other services.
Dr Abdur Rashid, director BSBMCH, said the interns went on strike without prior notice from yesterday morning demanding full payment of their monthly internship allowance of April 2011.
Usually the internship allowance of Tk 10,000 per month is distributed within first week of next month. This time it was delayed for only 10 days due to holidays and other problems, Dr Rashid explained.
"For this delay we requested the interns to receive 40 percent of the allowance from the hospital fund. We also told them that the problem will be over within next Sunday, he said.
"We also requested the interns to continue their duty considering the inhuman sufferings of 1,165 indoor patients, mostly from low income group, who came for medical services at low cost from far away places. However they ignored the request and started strike, the BSBMCH director said.
Dr Russell, a leader of 39th batch of interns at the hospital claimed that they earlier verbally drew attention of the director regarding the 'unusual' delay.
But he failed to take any action. At this we held a meeting on Tuesday night and decided to go for strike, he said.
We will hold a meeting tonight on whether we will accept the partial payment, the intern leader said.
While visiting the hospital yesterday noon this correspondent saw helpless patients seeking care
of nurses and ward boys in absence of the interns.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments