Interns call strike at Rangpur Medical College Hospital

Intern physicians at Rangpur Medical College Hospital call strike on Friday morning causing suffering to patients.

The interns go on strike following a physician’s scuffle with a fourth class employee of the hospital on Thursday.

According to the intern physicians and employee’s association, an employee went to a physician for a signature on a discharge form of a patient on Thursday afternoon. The on-duty physician said he was busy and this led to a quarrel between the two. The cardiology department’s physicians then went for a work abstention protesting the incident and interns from other wards joined them later.

The strike over such a trifling matter has exacerbated the woes of the patients. Attendants of the patients expressed their dissatisfaction over the strike.

Intern physician association’s president Sanaul Huda said, “We didn’t want to call a strike. But fourth class employees often misbehave with interns. We feel insecure due to such behaviour. We called a strike as the hospital authorities showed indifference over the matter.”

Employees’ association’s president Moshiur Rahman said a meeting was scheduled to be held in the evening over the situation.

The hospital's acting director Rostom Ali said the interns have called a strike without informing the authorities.

He said discussions were underway about the interns’ resumption of work.