Bangladesh: Pvt hospitals go on strike after KU students assault intern

Dhaka, July 6, 2014 (New Age): All private clinics and hospitals, laboratories and private chambers of physicians have gone on a 48-hour strike starting Saturday in protest of the attack on Gazi Medical College Hospital and the abduction and assault of an intern by a group of students of Khuilna University last Wednesday. Khulna units of Bangladesh Medical Association and Bangladesh Private Clinic and Diagnostic Owners’ Association called the strike. The incident was sparked off centering the death of Khulna University student Amit Roy in a road accident Wednesday morning after he was allegedly refused treatment on a head injury by the intern Tanvir Ahmed Bappa. Roy succumbed to his injuries while on way to Dhaka for better treatment. The angry students beat up Tanvir on campus after abducting him from the emergency ward of privately-owned Gazi Medical College Hospital Thursday midnight. Tanvir was rescued by police from a room of the university early morning Friday. Khulna unit of BMA and Diagnostic Owners’ Association called the strike in protest of the attack and demanded the culprits be arrested. All private clinics and hospitals, laboratories and private chambers of physicians will remain closed till Sunday. Leaders of BMA and DOA said they will go on an indefinite strike from Monday if the students involved are not arrested by Sunday. Banga Kamol Basu, superintendent of Gazi Medical College Hospital filed a complainant with Sonadanga police station Friday evening naming 15 students of Khulna University and 200 unnamed others for being involved in the attack. We are trying to arrest the accused, said Sonadanga station officer-in-charge Maruf Ahmed.