Intern doctors strike at Barishal Medical College Hospital

Hospital authorities say patient care is facing disruption after the work stoppage began

Intern doctors at Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barishal have joined an indefinite strike as part of a nationwide movement demanding a six-point charter.

The work stoppage began on Sunday morning following a call from the Bangladesh Combined Intern Doctors' Unity Council, according to intern physician Tanvir Reza.

Hospital authorities, however, say the “unscheduled” suspension of duties has disrupted healthcare services.

Hospital Director AKM Mashiul Munir said service delivery has been affected due to the sudden stoppage.

“The SMCH has 220 intern doctors. They have suddenly gone on strike, and it is disrupting services. Many surgeries will not be possible [on Sunday],” he said.

He added that efforts are under way to hold discussions with the interns to ease the situation.

Intern Tanvir said a health ministry notice had proposed a “discriminatory” pay structure for doctors pursuing Fellowship of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (FCPS) training, along with a requirement for two years of mandatory Upazila-level posting as part of the training.

He said these proposals would undermine a conducive learning environment and threaten doctors' livelihoods, professional development and work efficiency.

He also pointed to a series of attacks on doctors in recent months with no visible progress in bringing perpetrators to justice.

In line with other medical college hospitals across the country, the council has declared an indefinite work stoppage at the Barishal hospital until further notice.

Students from the first to fifth year have been called to boycott classes from 11am each day and all examinations have been suspended.

Mid-level doctors have also been urged to join the action.

The six demands include scrapping the committee's proposed posting policy for private FCPS Part 1 trainees; reducing admission test fees for Bangladesh Medical University (BMU) and the Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons (BCPS) to between Tk 500 and Tk 1,000; setting intern stipends at a minimum of Tk 30,000 and placing trainees on the ninth pay grade under the new pay scale; enacting a healthcare worker protection law; raising the age limit for entry into the Bangladesh Civil Service health cadre to 34; and establishing a clear pay structure for doctors working in private institutions in line with the Labour Act 2006.

The doctors also called for a temporary freeze on approvals for new medical colleges, urging the government to focus instead on improving academic and infrastructure standards at existing substandard institutions.