Protesting doctors at DMCH resume limited emergency services, patients suffer

Emergency healthcare services have resumed under “certain conditions” at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) as protesting doctors continue their strike.
However, outdoor and routine medical services remain suspended, leading to an increased patient load at the emergency department.
On Monday morning, the hospital’s outdoor ticket counters were closed, with several patients and their relatives—unaware of the ongoing strike—waiting for medical attention.
Many had traveled from around the city and surrounding areas, only to find that services were unavailable.
Jabbar Ali, a resident of Hazaribagh, came to the hospital with his daughter, Shahida, who has a skin condition.
“We have been coming here for the last two days, but we couldn’t see a doctor. A nurse told us that outdoor services are closed due to the doctors’ protest. Now we will have to come for services another day,” he told The Daily Star.
Rokeya Begum, another Hazaribagh resident with skin complications, expressed similar frustration.
“If I had known about the doctors’ strike, I wouldn’t have spent money to come to the hospital. What will I do now?” she said before heading to the emergency department for treatment.
With outdoor services closed, many patients like Rokeya Begum were forced to seek help in the already overwhelmed emergency department.
This has created significant pressure on emergency doctors, who are struggling to manage the influx of patients.
Some patients were even turned away from the emergency department.
Happy Akhter, a resident of Narayanganj who recently underwent gallbladder surgery at DMCH, came to have her stitches removed but was unable to see a doctor.
“I have been to the outdoor and emergency departments several times since 8:00am, but the doctors keep telling me to come back later,” she said.
Brig Gen Md Asaduzzaman, the director of DMCH, told The Daily Star around 12:30pm that emergency services had been operational since the previous night and that the safety of doctors had been ensured.
Admitted patients, including those in the ICU and CCU, were being monitored, and the rest of the hospital’s services would resume later in the day, he added.
Arif Hossain, assistant professor of the casualty department, said that it was not feasible to provide outdoor patient services through the emergency department.
“Patients are coming in as usual today, and we are doing our best,” he added.
According to hospital sources, DMCH typically handles 4,000 to 5,000 patients daily, despite having only 2,600 beds.