United News of Bangladesh

Interns at government medical college hospitals in the country including Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) and Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) started a ‘complete shutdown’ on Sunday, demanding the fulfillment of their five-point demand, including reforms in the healthcare sector. The strike, called by the Intern Doctors’ Council, started at 8 am, seriously affecting the treatment of admitted patients. “Medical interns have been on work abstention since morning. The interns in other medical colleges have also started the strike. We have announced the strict programme to press home our demands. After today’s human-chain protest, we will submit a memorandum to the principal and hospital director,” said intern Zobayer Ahmad. Intern doctors call off nationwide strike upon health minister’s assurance  Emergency services, surgeries and outpatient care will, however, remain outside the purview of the movement. In a statement, the Intern Doctors’ Council condemned the repeated delays in High Court order over healthcare sector reforms. “On February 19, for the 90th time, the High Court postponed its verdict, turning the healthcare sector into a theatrical stage. We strongly denounce and protest this,” the statement reads. Medical students from all academic years of the CMCH expressed solidarity with the intern doctors by boycotting classes and exams. They alleged that people with only a higher secondary education are illegally using the ‘doctor’ title, leading to medical malpractice and harassment for qualified doctors. They demands also included an increase in the maximum age limit for BCS (Bangladesh Civil Service) medical exams to 34 years and the immediate recruitment of 10,000 medical teachers to address the doctor shortage. Clash with medicine traders: Intern doctors called off work abstention The interns have warned of continuing their work abstention if their demands are not met. Dr Arafat Hossain, president of the KMCH Intern Doctors’ Association (IDA), said the Sheikh Hasina-led government had begun providing registration to Medical Assistant Training School (MATS) graduates through Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) which is illegal and detrimental to the healthcare sector. “We, the intern doctors, have placed our five-point demand to reform the healthcare sector. We will continue our indefinite work abstention until our demands are met,” he said. The five-point demand includes: 1. Only MBBS and BDS degree holders should be allowed to use the title of ‘doctor,’ and the High Court writ against BMDC’s decision should be withdrawn within 72 hours. The registration process for MATS graduates through BMDC, which started in 2010, should be stopped immediately. 2. The Over-the-Counter (OTC) drug list should be updated in line with global medical standards. Only MBBS and BDS doctors should be allowed to prescribe drugs outside the OTC list, and pharmacies should be restricted from selling such medicines without a registered doctor’s prescription. KMCH intern doctors call for work abstention over clash between students and medicine traders 3. Addressing the doctor shortage in the healthcare sector by: * Recruiting 10,000 doctors immediately to fill all vacant positions and forming a separate health commission for recruitment at the seventh-grade level. * Hiring 4,000-5,000 doctors annually to maintain balance in the healthcare sector. * Increasing the maximum age limit for government job entry for doctors to 34 years. 4. Shutting down all MATS institutions and substandard public and private medical colleges. MATS graduates should be appointed as medical assistants instead of being given SACMO (Sub-Assistant Community Medical Officer) status. 5. Implementing a law for doctors’ protection. Dr. Mizanur Rahman, Assistant Director of KMCH said, "The interns are protesting over a national issue, and their demands have the merit. But we are ensuring that patient care is not hampered. Senior-level doctors, including assistant registrars, honorary medical officers, and medical officers, have been instructed to remain active and available to provide uninterrupted medical services." Interns at Rajshahi Medical College Hosptial, Shadheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital and Mymensingh Medical College Hospital have also joined the strike.  

A clash erupted between police and students of Brac University in the Badda area of Dhaka on Thursday (July 18, 2024) when the students gathered there as part of the ‘complete shutdown’ programme.  The situation turned worse as police fired several rounds of tear gas to disperse the students in the morning in front of the university campus. Witnesses said the university students started coming to the campus in the morning and took to the streets. ‘Complete Shutdown’: Protestors, police clash in Dhaka’s Uttara; police box and 2 buses vandalized As police chased them they went up to the gate of BRAC University. They came back together again and chased the policemen, triggering a clash. The students chased the policemen to Badda U-loop. However, additional police were deployed in the area to control the situation.   Deputy Officer-in-Charge Abdul Haq Abbasi of Badda Police Station confirmed the clash, stating that one police officer was injured and is receiving medical treatment. Students allege that police entered their campus and lobbed tear gas and sound grenades, resulting in several injuries, though the exact number is unknown. Shutdown cripples capital city amid clashes between police and protesters Apart from Brac University students, students from several nearby colleges and North South University also gathered, engaging in clashes with police. A tense situation has been prevailing with fears of further confrontations.

As part of the announced countrywide ‘Complete Shutdown’ from dawn to dusk today (July 18, 2024), students demanding quota system reform from several colleges and universities took to the streets in Dhaka’s Uttara. Their protest turned violent when police intervened to disperse them, leading to clashes. To bring the situation under control, police lobbed tear gas multiple times. Protesters then vandalized a police box and two buses. The clash occurred in front of Zamzam Tower in Uttara. Read more: Situation tense at Badda after students-police clash According to witnesses, the protestors gathered at the same location as on previous days. Upon receiving news of the gathering, police rushed to the scene and began firing tear gas shells to clear the street, which sparked the confrontation. At one point, protesters retaliated by hurling brickbats at the police, leading to repeated chase and counter-chase. During the clash, demonstrators vandalized a traffic police box near Zamzam Tower and damaged two buses. Sub-nspector (SI) Ripon, duty officer at Uttara Purbo Paschim Police Station, said that the clashes were going on and the extent of the damages was yet to be determined. Police officers are actively working at the scene. Read more: Shutdown cripples capital city amid clashes between police and protesters

Firing teargas and rubber bullets riot police clashed with quota-reform protesters in different parts of the capital city in the first hours of Thursday (July 18, 2024) at the start of a nationwide complete shutdown. Riot police fought pitched battles with the protesters in Badda, Merul, Uttara, Dhamandi, Motijheel and Arambagh. Police used teargas shells and rubber bullets. Cocktails --home-made bombs-- rocked different parts of the city. The clashes also spread in the alleys of the residential areas causing panic among residents, eyewitnesses said. Private BRAC university at Badda and its surrounding areas turned into battle fields as students, including from schools took to the streets defying heavy presence of police and Border Guards of Bangladesh personnel. The government has deployed 229 BGB platoons to maintain law and order during the shutdown. No casualties have so far been reported during the first few hours of violence on Thursday. But an 18-year-old boy was reportedly killed in clashes at Jatrabari on Wednesday night raising the death toll from ongoing quota protests to seven. Read more: Violent clashes continue in Dhaka’s Jatrabari, Shanir Akhra areas during shutdown Hundreds have been injured in the first few days of clashes. Clashes between protesters, many carrying sticks, and riot police occurred at Uttara, where dozens of colleges and schools are located. At Uttara's Housebuilding area thousands of students, including women, blocked the main road connecting Tongi with the capital city. Carrying sticks the students have gathered from all educational institutions in the surrounding areas. No transport except rickshaws are seen here. After chases and counter-chases seen in the morning amid teargassing riot police seemed to have retreated down the road at Azampur. Read more: ‘Complete Shutdown’: Protestors, police clash in Dhaka’s Uttara; police box and 2 buses vandalized "We are not going anywhere until our demands are met," said a 16-year-old girl who has joined from a nearby English-medium school. UNB is withholding both the name of the girl and her school for their safety. During the shutdown the capital city's usual chaotic traffic was absent with a few BRTC double-decker buses opening on almost empty streets. Rickshaws ruled the streets in absence of public transports as commuters were seen walking to the destinations or standing on bus stations in the hope of catching a transport. The students called for the shutdown, shortly after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a televised speech on Wednesday evening called for restraint and urged the protesters to wait patiently until the Supreme Court verdict is delivered on the quota issue. She assured the students that they won't be disappointed with the upcoming verdict scheduled for the first week of next month. She also ordered a judicial enquiry into the killings during the protests to identify the culprits. Read more: Situation tense at Badda after students-police clash

The National Technical Advisory Committee on the Covid-19 pandemic recommended that a complete nationwide ‘shutdown’ be enforced for at least two weeks to deal with the worsening Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh. Community transmission of the highly transmissible Delta variant of coronavirus might be the reason behind deterioration in  the Covid-19 situation in the country, said the committee in a media release. The committee used the example of India as areference to emphasize that no step other than a complete shutdown might be enough to prevent the spread of the Delta variant of the virus. Also read: Rapid rise in Bangladesh’s Covid cases, 81 more die “Everything, including offices, courts and businesses, need to be closed for at least 14 days. Otherwise, no other steps taken by the government will be enough to contain the virus,” the committee said.The committee also recommended that at least 80 % of the population should be brought under the vaccination drive, aiming to bring back normal life. Meanwhile, Bangladesh recorded 6,058 newinfections and 81 deaths in the last 24 hours until Thursday morning. Also read: Countries like Bangladesh need support for vaccine production: FM This is the highest number of single-day positive cases in 73 days since April 12. However, the positivity rate fell slightly to19.93 % on Thursday and the death rate remained static at 1.59 %.