Doctors, medical students end their nationwide work stoppage

Doctors and medical student organisations have withdrawn the work stoppage programme they had launched to push for a five-point list of demands.

The organisations issued a statement to the media early on Thursday announcing their decision.

Doctors and medical students in the country have been staging several protest programmes with the aim of saving patients from malpractice, bringing discipline to the health sector, and upholding the dignity of the medical profession.

On Wednesday, the High Court settled a writ petition and barred the use of the title “Dr” by anyone who did not have at least a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Medicine, or MBBS, degree or Bachelor of Dental Surgery, or BDS, degree.

This has ensured justice for the doctors, while the general people have expressed their relief, the statement said.

The main demand of the doctors and medical students was fulfilled through the verdict. The health ministry is working on the other demands and there was much progress, according to the related officials.

Public health service has been hampered due to the protest programmes that rolled on for more than two weeks, the statement said.

Under the circumstances, the organisations of doctors and medical students withdrew the ongoing work stoppage, it said.

It also called for sharing updates on the specific progress of their demands in 48 hours. Otherwise, doctors and medical students would go for stricter protest programmes, the doctors said.

As part of the protest, outdoor and indoor departments in hospitals across the country were closed on Wednesday, causing major difficulties for patients seeking treatment.

Doctors from both private and public sectors joined a rally at the Central Shaheed Minar at 1pm on Wednesday to push for their four remaining demands after the High Court decision. However, police blocked them near the Shikkha Bhaban. A five-member delegation of protesters eventually went to the health ministry around 2:30pm.

THE FIVE KEY DEMANDS OF DOCTORS AND STUDENTS

• Only MBBS and BDS graduates should be allowed to use the title “doctor”. All continuing cases related to law and public health must be settled by Mar 12. There should be no confusing titles such as “diploma doctor”, which is not a title that exists anywhere in the world aside from Bangladesh and is not recognised by the WHO.

• Only MBBS and BDS graduates should be allowed to run a private practice. The government must issue a notice regarding this.

• A committee should be introduced to reform the Medical Assistant Course curriculum in seven working days and all substandard MATS institutions should be shut down through a special drive.

• The government must recruit enough doctors immediately to fill vacant posts in the healthcare sector and extend the age limit for the Bangladesh Civil Services, or BCS, medical recruitment to 34 years.

• A law must be enacted to protect doctors. Also, a specific pay scale should be introduced for doctors working in the private health sector.

On the other hand, MATS students have been agitating for a long time, demanding immediate appointments to vacant positions in 10th-grade positions, employment opportunities and positions at government and private levels, curriculum revisions and one-year internships with allowances while maintaining the four-year academic course, the cancellation of the proposed Allied Health Professional Board and the formation of a board called “Medical Education Board of Bangladesh”, and higher education opportunities in clinical subjects recognised by international standards and the BM&DC.