TDS Desk:

Outpatient services have resumed at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) after two days of suspension as doctors and staffers had gone on a work stoppage following vandalism and assaults on medical staff in the emergency department.

The DMCH doctors returned to work after a sit-in from 8am to 10am on Tuesday, demanding the arrest of those involved in the attack, the drafting of a health protection law, and the recruitment of a health police force.

Services are now being provided in both the emergency and outdoor departments, and the hospital operations have returned to normal.

In the morning, services at DMCH were operational under heightened security, with the presence of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), police, and the military.

There was no significant patient overload, and the service flow was normal, with fewer patients than on other days.

Officials said the outdoor service had been closed for the last two days.

They added that many people did not know about the resumption. Besides, many did not go out because of rain in the morning.

Meanwhile, service seekers were not facing additional suffering like the last two days due to the launch of outpatient services. However, they demanded that all services be restarted in full swing soon.

Aleya Begum from Madaripur, who came to see a doctor, said: “I had to return home the previous day as the services were suspended. I learned through a relative that services had resumed today and, therefore, came early in the morning.”

She added that the resumption of services has reduced her inconvenience, but she hopes for a full-scale resumption considering everyone’s needs.

There was tension throughout the day on Sunday over the beating of a doctor at DMCH on Saturday night.

Doctors of government hospitals in the country observed a complete shutdown (work abstention) from Sunday morning to press for a four-point demand, including arrest and trial of the attackers and ensuring a safe workplace.

However, later in the evening, the doctors suspended the work abstention.