Hundreds of patients suffered as private clinics, hospitals and diagnostic centres in Chittagong went on an indefinite strike in response to mobile court drives of Rab in the city's four hospitals yesterday.

One of the four was Max Hospital, already under-fire after the unexpected death of a three-year-old on June 29. Two probe bodies -- one formed by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and the other led by the Chittagong civil surgeon -- found the hospital plagued with irregularities and anomalies.  

Soon after the drives began around 11:00am yesterday, Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) and Besarkari Chikitsha Protisthan Malik Samity, a platform of private clinic and hospital owners, held an emergency meeting and announced the indefinite strike.

Abul Kashem, president of the owners' platform, issued a statement around 2:30pm, saying “journalists had launched an attack on a hospital”, but it did not specify which hospital or when it happened. 

They issued another statement around 6:00pm, saying the Rab had conducted the drives without any prior notice. It stated that Rab officers were fully armed during the raid and thus created a frightening situation.

Contacted, Hasan Ferdous, general secretary of Chittagong Union of Journalists, refuted the allegation brought against newsmen and said the strike was called protesting the Rab drives.

A patient being driven out of Max Hospital in Chittagong. Private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres in the port city suspended all services and even closed doctors' chambers following an indefinite strike called by the Bangladesh Medical Association and Private Clinic and Hospital Owner's Association. The strike was announced after mobile courts conducted by Rab raided four private hospitals in the city. Photo: Collected

“Later, they [owners] came up with the version that journalists had attacked a hospital. We want to know where and when the attack took place,” he told The Daily Star.

Terming it a blatant lie, Ferdous said that doctors holding the mass people hostage was nothing new and it was done to save those accused of administering wrong treatment or of medical negligence.

“The government must come forward to remedy this...”

Liakat Ali Khan, general secretary of the owners' platform, who is also managing director of Max Hospital, told reporters that the drives conducted by a team of the Rapid Action Battalion took place without any prior notice and they considered it a “threat”.

“So, we decided to call the strike.”

However, Dewan Mahmud Mehedi Hasan, who was present during the raid as a representative of the DGHS, said it was a regular drive and no prior notice was needed for this.

The BMA also issued a statement in the afternoon and expressed solidarity with the strike.

It said Rab can conduct drives in private hospitals with permission from the DGHS chief. But the way the elite force members stormed the hospitals without any prior notice was frightening, it added.

SUFFERINGS

Following the decision of the strike, Max and other private clinics and hospitals drove patients out.

During visits to private clinics and hospitals, patients were seen reluctantly leaving. Some were bandaged, while many others were on wheeled stretchers.   

Anu Talukdar, who had been attending a critically ill patient at Max, told The Daily Star, “It's horrible. I am yet to understand why they are punishing us. Where will we go now? It's a crime.”

Frustrated, he headed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) around 3:00pm. 

Rifatunnesa, a resident of Halishohor, who had a C-section two days back at the CSCR Hospital at Gol Pahar intersection, needed to see a doctor there but was refused an appointment.

“Why should people suffer due to the ego of doctors? If people die, who will take the responsibility? Why are the doctors punishing us?” she said.

Khaleda Begum, an elderly women suffering from heart complications, had made a long journey from Noakhali to see a doctor at the CSCR Hospital.

“I made an appointment beforehand but the doctor will not see me today. I don't know why. I pleaded with him [doctor] to see me but he refused.”

Patients forced out of private hospitals and clinics were left scrambling for alternatives, which were far and few.

And the rush of patients increased at the CMCH.

Mahinur, a ward staff at the state-run hospital, said there were more patients than on regular days, adding that it was expected to increase further at night.

Relatives of Sohel Rana, a patient who had suffered a stroke, were seen running helplessly around the overcrowded hospital.

“My brother was admitted to Doctors' Clinic near Mirzarpool area. Doctors stopped coming to the hospital today. His condition is serious now. We don't know what to do,” said Mizanur Rahman, the patient's brother.

Jesmin Akhter, a pregnant woman, was shifted to the CMCH from Momota Nagar Matrishadan in Lalkhan Bazar area in the city, said Shelly Akhter, a sister-in-law of the patient.

Md Ayub, a patient who would undergo hernia operation, was earlier admitted to Treatment Hospital in Panchlaish area in the city.

“Officials at the clinic told us we could stay if we wanted but no doctor would be available for at least four days. We had no option but to come to CMCH,” said Sanowara Begum, guardian of Aiyub.

Brigadier General Jalal Uddin, director of the CMCH, told The Daily Star that they could provide medical services to 3,000 patients and they were ready to cope with the extra pressure.

'WHEN IT INVOLVES LIVES'

Meanwhile, Prof Mizanur Rahman, former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, said, “Strike is no way an acceptable means to bargain or strengthen power when it involves lives.”

Referring to the Indian ban on strikes or work abstention by health service providers, the Dhaka University professor sought a similar directive from a Bangladeshi court.

Such a ban should not be deemed a violation of rights as it is in the public interests, he said, adding, “Time has come to legally specify that some professionals must not exercise power holding people hostage.”

Sarwoer Alam, executive magistrate of Rab-7, led the drives at Max Hospital, Centre for Specialised Care and Research (CSCR) Hospital, Royal Hospital and Metropolitan Hospital.

Afterwards, he told reporters that they found irregularities in operation theatre, pathology department and ICU of Max Hospital.

Yesterday's drive at the hospital also revealed that the lab there had been run by untrained individuals. There were date-expired surgical items and unregistered medicines, Mehedi Hasan of DGHS told this newspaper over the phone.

The Rab team also found reports of tests done abroad.

“It is like commissioning of pathological tests,” said Mehedi, adding that for the irregularities Max Hospital had been fined Tk 10 lakh.

Raifa Khan, daughter of a senior journalist in Chittagong, died of medical negligence at Max Hospital on June 29. Soon after the incident, there came demands for punishment of doctors whose negligence was proven in an investigation conducted by a three-member committee led by the Chittagong civil surgeon.