Services resume on limited scale at national eye hospital after a week

The medical services have resumed on a limited scale at the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital (NIOH) in Dhaka’s Agargaon after a one-week closure. The emergency department at the hospital opened on Wednesday morning.

The patients waiting at the hospital gate were allowed to enter inside around 8:45 am. The emergency department began treating patients around 10:00 am.

The hospital authorities confirmed that services have resumed on a limited scale. The patients requiring long-term treatment will also have to take emergency care only for now and leave the hospital.

NIOH acting director Jane Alam told Prothom Alo, “Emergency services resumed today. If someone needs further treatment beyond emergency care, that will not be provided at the moment.”

He, however, could not inform the media the specific number of physicians who resumed providing medical care at the hospital.

“The hospital has just reopened. First, we will carry out cleaning operations. The number of physicians available cannot yet be confirmed,” Jane Alam added.

The hospital services were suspended last Wednesday following clashes between the staff and the relatives of patients injured in the July mass uprising.

Directorate General of Health Services director general professor Abu Zafar, along with officials from the ministry, the health directorate, and the hospital held a discussion with the injured people on Tuesday afternoon.

After nearly three hours of discussion, Abu Zafar told newspersons that a decision had been discussed to resume the emergency department and services at the hospital at a limited scale.

He, however, noted that the ministry will take the final decision in this regard.

Later, a meeting was held at the ministry. After the meeting, special assistant to the interim government professor Md Sayedur Rahman told Prothom Alo that emergency services would resume from Wednesday.

He further said eye specialists from four institutions will examine the eyes of the injured to determine the extent of the damage and where they should receive treatment.

Over a hundred patients were allowed into the hospital around 8:45 am today. They had been waiting since the morning to enter. Conversations with patients revealed that most of them were new while some had received treatment previously.

Certain Md. Rafiqul Islam from Gaibandha said he had received treatment here at NIOH in February for an eye problem. He returned for further treatment as the condition had recently worsened.

“Eid is coming up, but I was compelled to come. The pain in my eyes had become unbearable. The medicine I received from this hospital previously worked well for me,” Rafiqul Islam said.

Another patient, Ismail Hossain, said he came from Bhola. Upon arriving at the hospital last Saturday, he found all services shut. Since then, he had been visiting every morning to check whether services had resumed.

He added, “I was staying at a relative’s hostel in Dhaka during these days. I’ve come to Dhaka travelling a long way. If I left without treatment, I would have to come back again, which is why I waited all this time for services to resume.”