RMCH strike ends

Intern doctors at the Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) have called off their strike after two days, ending the suffering of hundreds of patients.

Hospital sources said the interns had resumed work a little after 4pm Tuesday.

They had struck work on Monday morning after a clash with local journalists the previous night.

Their decision on Tuesday came within hours of the health ministry forming a five-member committee to investigate the clashes.

The RMCH authorities, too, had formed a committee earlier to probe the incident in which ten reporters were hurt and several cameras of different TV channels were broken.

Journalists’ organisations in Rajshahi had protested the incident, demanding the arrest of those behind the assault.

Meanwhile, intern doctors at Dhaka’s Sir Salimullah Medical College and Hospital (SSMCH), better known as Mitford hospital, are still on strike.

They had gone an indefinite strike on Monday, immediately after the private television channel, Ekushey TV, filed a case against them for allegedly assaulting its newsmen on Apr 19.

Patients have put up with untold misery with the intern doctors going on strike, resulting in a near-collapse of health services at the two hospitals.

The health ministry on Tuesday also formed another five-strong team to probe the clashes at SSMCH.

It asked both teams, headed by Joint Secretary Md Anwar Hossain, to submit their reports within seven days.