CMCH strike escalates as trainee doctors back interns

Healthcare services at Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) were disrupted for a second consecutive day as intern doctors continued their indefinite strike, with postgraduate trainee doctors joining in solidarity.

The interns started their work abstention at 8:00am yesterday. As part of their protest, they staged a sit-in demonstration at the hospital's main gate today.

The strike centres on a Ministry of Health and Family Welfare directive on FCPS training issued on May 19.

Protesters are demanding its immediate withdrawal, along with five other measures, including a healthcare worker protection law; an increase in the monthly intern allowance to Tk 30,000; higher pay for private trainee doctors; raising the entry age limit for the BCS Health cadre to 34; and formalising the BMDC Ordinance 2025 into law to curb fraudulent medical practice.

The Intern Doctors Association issued a 48-hour ultimatum on June 3 and held rallies and human chains on June 4 and 6 before launching the indefinite strike.

Association leaders said the crisis could be resolved quickly if the government opened talks, warning that they may coordinate with doctors at other public medical colleges to expand the movement nationwide.

However, CMCH Director Brigadier General Taslim Uddin said, "Healthcare services at the hospital are not being disrupted due to the interns' strike. We have an adequate number of rostered doctors available to handle the patient rush."

Expressing solidarity with the interns, regular students of Chattogram Medical College also boycotted all classes after 11:00am yesterday.

Apart from CMCH, intern doctors at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital (SOMCH) also started the indefinite work abstention since yesterday morning to press home their six-point demand.