Intern doctors� strike
Work abstention
by doctors at government hospitals on various
pretexts has become a chronic practice in this country
The intern doctors at Rangpur Medical College Hospital went on strike to press home their five-point demand, causing sufferings to the patients of the hospital, according to a recent report in this newspaper. The strike was called in protest against attack on an intern doctor by some hoodlums on his way to the hospital. Work abstention by doctors at government hospitals on various pretexts has become a chronic practice in this country. Health care is one of the basic human rights for the people of the country and for this the state has to spend a huge sum of money as subsidy every year in the health sector. It is quite disturbing to note that doctors at government hospitals stay away from work centering around minor issues exposing the patients to an utterly hapless condition.
Vast majority of the people of the country have to depend on the government hospitals for treatment of diseases. Very few are financially capable of undergoing treatment at private hospitals that in most cases fleece patients in the name of treatment. It does not augur well for the doctors to behave irresponsibly; they should not forget that they are pledge-bound by the lofty Hippocratic Oath that made their service mandatory under any circumstances. Hence there is little room for indulging in whims and caprices. Doctors can express their grievances or register their protest in different ways instead of resorting to strike or work abstention.
There are also allegations that the intern doctors mainly look after the patients and prescribe medicines at government hospitals as senior doctors hardly meet the patients and hear their problems. Many senior and specialist physicians remain awfully busy in attending patients at private hospitals for their personal gains. It is the responsibility of the Health Ministry and the Health Department to look into this vital issue. The lackadaisical attitude is sure to disrupt health care of the citizens. The accountability of doctors should be ensured in the interest of public health.
Attack on doctors is not expected in a civilized society. The attackers should also face action. There is no scope for muscle-flexing on the premises of hospitals. What is needed is a good relationship between the doctors and the patients and their relatives. For achieving the millennium development goal there should be a clear and transparent policy and guidelines in the health sector.
