Doctors� strike unacceptable

BMA�s observance of strike that caused immense suffering to patients in Chittagong brings to the fore one very pertinent question: are the doctors, as professionals, above law?

It is very unfortunate that doctors, whose profession demands special commitment to their service, went on a wildcat strike for 24 hours in Chittagong Wednesday under the banner of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA), country’s largest doctors’ organisation. As a result, at private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres there, patients could not receive any treatment. 
The reason for which they called for work abstention is not acceptable at any circumstances. Just a day before the strike, on Tuesday, separate cases were filed before a Chittagong court bringing allegation of negligence on part of some doctors which led to death of one patient. A doctor was also alleged to have left a piece of bandage inside a patient’s stomach. The BMA has threatened that unless the cases are withdrawn, it would observe similar programmes in public hospitals also.    But BMA’s observance of strike that caused immense suffering to patients in Chittagong brings to the fore one very pertinent question: are the doctors, as professionals, above law? Do they mean that their negligence to duty or even crime committed by them, intentional or unintentional, cannot be challenged in the court? The most fundamental perception of law in Bangladesh is that all citizens are equal in the eye of law. 
Yet BMA’s recent move for strike makes them very impudent in this regard, to say the least. It was as if BMA kept welfare of patient at gunpoint through their power of organisation in the most offensive manner possible. This certainly is not the way to deal with the problem they thought, however wrongly, they were pitted against. If there were no faults on the part of relevant doctors, let the court judge it. The step for strike the Chittagong chapter of BMA took recently is indeed very unethical, and also illegal. 
And this is not the first time doctors went for such a strike. Earlier, at Rajshahi health professionals had also observed strike when patients had filed a case against doctors. The doctors’ call for strike, en mass, proves that they have completely failed to understand the noble calling of their profession. This heartless approach clearly goes against the Hippocratic Oath they take before they enter this profession.
Again, in the recent Chittagong case, against whom did the doctors move, the patients or the government? Surely, government is not their target here. But the government has to stand tough against this trend of strikes and be on its feet to protect a citizen’s right to file a case against anyone if there are valid allegations. Let the matter be understood clearly. Here individual patients have filed cases against some certain health professionals, not their community in general. And BMA must realise that it cannot abuse its power in a mindless manner.  

Doctors� strike unacceptable

BMA�s observance of strike that caused immense suffering to patients in Chittagong brings to the fore one very pertinent question: are the doctors, as professionals, above law?

It is very unfortunate that doctors, whose profession demands special commitment to their service, went on a wildcat strike for 24 hours in Chittagong Wednesday under the banner of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA), countrys largest doctors organisation. As a result, at private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres there, patients could not receive any treatment. The reason for which they called for work abstention is not acceptable at any circumstances. Just a day before the strike, on Tuesday, separate cases were filed before a Chittagong court bringing allegation of negligence on part of some doctors which led to death of one patient. A doctor was also alleged to have left a piece of bandage inside a patients stomach. The BMA has threatened that unless the cases are withdrawn, it would observe similar programmes in public hospitals also. But BMAs observance of strike that caused immense suffering to patients in Chittagong brings to the fore one very pertinent question: are the doctors, as professionals, above law? Do they mean that their negligence to duty or even crime committed by them, intentional or unintentional, cannot be challenged in the court? The most fundamental perception of law in Bangladesh is that all citizens are equal in the eye of law. Yet BMAs recent move for strike makes them very impudent in this regard, to say the least. It was as if BMA kept welfare of patient at gunpoint through their power of organisation in the most offensive manner possible. This certainly is not the way to deal with the problem they thought, however wrongly, they were pitted against. If there were no faults on the part of relevant doctors, let the court judge it. The step for strike the Chittagong chapter of BMA took recently is indeed very unethical, and also illegal. And this is not the first time doctors went for such a strike. Earlier, at Rajshahi health professionals had also observed strike when patients had filed a case against doctors. The doctors call for strike, en mass, proves that they have completely failed to understand the noble calling of their profession. This heartless approach clearly goes against the Hippocratic Oath they take before they enter this profession. Again, in the recent Chittagong case, against whom did the doctors move, the patients or the government? Surely, government is not their target here. But the government has to stand tough against this trend of strikes and be on its feet to protect a citizens right to file a case against anyone if there are valid allegations. Let the matter be understood clearly. Here individual patients have filed cases against some certain health professionals, not their community in general. And BMA must realise that it cannot abuse its power in a mindless manner.