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A clash has occurred between staff of the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital (NIOH) in Dhaka and the relatives of patients injured in the July Uprising, as well as other patients seeking treatment.
A doctor at the hospital said those injured in the mass uprising carried out an attack on the residential quarters of physicians and staff on Wednesday and chanted slogans demanding punishment for the employees, reports bdnews24.com.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Additional Deputy Commissioner (Tejgaon) Alamgir Kabir told bdnews24.com that the situation is currently “under control”.
The clash took place a day after the hospital director was besieged by protesters following suicide attempts by several July Uprising survivors.
The hospital staff went on strike early on Wednesday, demanding additional security in response to the protest and the attempted suicides.
The July injured clashed with the hospital staff around 10 am. Later, relatives of patients visiting the outpatient department joined in.
The hospital’s director, Dr Khair Ahmed Choudhury, told bdnews24.com: “The situation in the hospital has turned into a mess. They (the July injured) first attacked the employees and even vandalised the staff quarters. After Tuesday’s events, the staff have been feeling insecure, which led to the strike.”
Hillol, one of the injured in the July movement who gave a single name, told bdnews24.com: “The hospital staff have attacked the public and us. That’s all I can say at the moment.”
Another doctor from the scene told bdnews24.com around 12:45 pm that the clash with the July injured broke out because the staff and nurses, who were on strike, were not providing treatment.
However, police personnel arrived at the hospital around 11:30 am.
The doctor said that even after police arrived, they failed to bring the situation under control.
“Later, around 12:30 pm, Coast Guard members intervened.”