Physiotherapists besiege DGHS to demand independent college, govt jobs

Physiotherapy students have taken up positions at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in Dhaka, demanding the establishment of a Bangladesh College of Physiotherapy and the introduction of first-class government posts for physiotherapists in all public hospitals.

The protest began at 10am on Wednesday, with students from 15 public and private institutions gathering under the Sammilito Physiotherapy Students Parishad banner in front of the DGHS office in Mohakhali, bdnews24.com reports. 

By 12:30pm, they had locked the gates, barring people from entering or leaving the premises.

Addressing the protest, Prof Dr Md Abu Zafar, director general of the DGHS, said, “They are protesting without paying heed to the correct process. Their demands fall under the purview of the Directorate General of Medical Education. However, they've come here.

"We are discussing the issue of vacant posts and working to address the issue. These are young students who may not fully grasp the process. I’m going downstairs to speak with them.”

The students claim that since 1973, the government has offered a five-year physiotherapy programme under the Faculty of Medicine at Dhaka University, but there has been no career planning for graduates.

In 2009, land in Mohakhali was allocated for an independent physiotherapy college, and then health minister AFM Ruhal Haque laid the foundation stone. However, the project stalled in 2018.

They further claim that no government jobs have designated positions for BSc-level physiotherapists, effectively denying them employment opportunities. These unresolved issues have fuelled their ongoing protests.

Bazlul Haque, a student from Dhaka Institute of Health and Technology, said that they had approached the DGHS about their demands nearly two months ago. Committees were formed by both the DGHS and the Directorate General of Medical Education to address the issues, but no progress has been made.

“We were promised action within two weeks. A month later, a committee was formed, and meetings were held. But no decisions were made and they stopped communicating with us. This left us with no option but to block the office today."

He continued: “We have been promised solutions time and again, but nothing has materialised. We have faced 60 years of neglect and we now want to speak directly with the health advisor. We no longer trust the promises of DGHS officials.”