The medical service at Mitford Hospital was paralysed on Tuesday suffered as staff went away following series of clashes with intern doctors and students of Salimullah Medical College.
At least 20 people were injured in the clashes.
The Interns stopped working, causing hardships to patients who turned up at the hospital seeking medical treatment on a day of continued countrywide blockade.
During the clashes, the hospital staff fled the premises in panic. Emergency and outdoor services were disrupted.
Witnesses said that interns and activists of Chhatra League of the adjoining medical college went on a rampage and vandalised several establishments in the hospital.
An administrative officer of the hospital said that the ensued at 1:30am, when pathology department fourth grade staff assaulted and beat an intern of surgery, Hasan Ali, as he protested at the issuance of a wrong test report.
Hasan called other interns and students from the campus and attacked the staff.
Chhatra League activists arrived at the pathology department and vandalised it. They also went on berserk at the emergency department leaving 20 injured.
‘A pathology technician issued me an HIV report instead of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and as I asked him for clarification, the technician and other staff tortured me,’ said Hasan.
Abdul Awal, the pathology technician, who was also beaten by the Chhatra League activists and interns, admitted that he mistakenly issued the HIV report instead of HCV report.
‘I admitted my fault and said that I would conduct the laboratory test again, but they did not listen and tortured me with rods and maces,’ said Awal.
Mitford Hospital Employees Union general secretary Jahangir Hossain, however, alleged that the intern was actually quarrelled with the pathology department staff over payment for a blood test, causing the clash.
Chhatra League activists, led by medical college unit secretary Shawon Das, went on rampant again in the morning and vandalised the staff quarters and the Employees Union office and a bus used for transporting students.
The police said that they could not go for action without the permission of local law maker and the college authority.
‘Until we are assured of our security in the hospital, we are not returning to work,’ said an intern.
The college principle Dilip Kumar Dhar said that the situation was unwarranted and they were trying to calm the situation.
Sharaf Ali, a rickshaw-puller, was injured in a crude bomb blast near Babu Bazar Bridge and rushed to the Mitford Hospital but no physicians were available for treatment. Later, he was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Hasna Henna, 35, from Keraniganj said that she came to the hospital with abdominal pain, but failed to see a doctor.
Relatives of an expecting woman Salma were advised by staff at the hospital to shift her to some private clinic for urgent attention.
On duty physician at the emergency ward Abdur Rashid said he had examined no patient since morning as no patients were admitted and no staff was available for service.
-With New Age input
