Patients have been suffering at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) as doctors and staffers went on a work abstention, suspending medical services at different units, including emergency and outpatient department.

After a doctor was allegedly assaulted at DMCH yesterday, doctors and students issued a 24-hour ultimatum, threatening a complete shutdown of the hospital if their demand for the identification and punishment of the alleged attackers was not met.

But the doctors and staff started their work abstention before the end of 24-hour ultimatum they issued last night.

The doctors joined their duties this morning but they gradually left the hospital as the day progressed.

By 8:30am, medical officers at the emergency department had closed their rooms, and the emergency ticket counter was also shut down, witnesses said.

Photo: Palash Khan/Star

The outdoor patients were seen gathering in front of Dhaka Medical College. Getting no doctors, most of the outdoor patients left the premises for other hospitals.

Inspector Md Bachchu Miah, in-charge of the police camp at DMCH, the medical service of emergency and other departments was suspended since 8:45am.

This has caused immense sufferings to the patients in need of urgent care, he said.

A staffer on duty at outdoor department told The Daily Star around 11:00am that some tickets have been issued to patients in the early morning but now outdoor services is completely shut.

However, the doctors are providing services to the patients who were admitted at different wards.

While visiting the hospital, our reporter saw an injured patient named Sumon was brought to the DMCH from Narsingdi. But he had to left for another hospital in an ambulance as there was no doctors to provide treatment to him.

"After coming here, I saw that the ticket counter was closed. The doctors' rooms were closed also. I am taking him to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital after hearing that the doctors here are on work abstention," Sumon's brother Kabir Hossain told the reporter.

Yesterday, a doctor was allegedly assaulted after the death of a private university student there, with some of his peers accusing the physicians of neglecting their duty in his treatment.