DMCH Upgrading
Patients suffer as staff start work abstention
A three-hour work abstention programme at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) started yesterday protesting the government's decision to upgrade the college into a medical university by making it an autonomous institution.
DMCH nurses and its third and fourth class employees are observing the programme for five days, Abdul Khaleque, president of the fourth class employees union, told The Daily Star.
Khaleque said the emergency wards, operation theatres and other important wards would remain out of the purview of the programme.
While visiting various departments and wards at DMCH, The Daily Star correspondent found that employees and nurses did not work in many wards causing sufferings to the patients.
In the outdoor tickets were sold but other activities like registering patients and nursing services were not provided in some areas as a result of which many outdoor patients left the hospital premises without taking the service.
In many cases, doctors provided treatment to the patients without registering their names.
Abdul Khaleque said the programme is aimed at creating pressure on the government for not turning the country's biggest public hospital into an autonomous university.
He said they will not oppose to upgrade the DMCH into a full-fledged medical university maintaining the present facilities available to the patients and the staff and keeping it a government institution.
Khaleque said after the former PG Hospital was upgraded into Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), poor patients are not getting healthcare properly as health services at BSMMU is costlier than DMCH.
Khaleque said hundreds of patients from all over the country have been getting healthcare service at no cost at DMCH but it is made autonomous one the patients will be deprived of.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made the announcement of upgrading the institution into a full-fledged university on January 17 this year while inaugurating the new Academic Bhaban of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College.
The employees and nurses held a rally at the DMCH outdoor at 11:30am and joined their work around 12noon after bringing out a procession.
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