The intern doctors of Chittagong Medical College and Hospital yesterday called off their work stoppage programme after the authorities concerned assured them of fulfilling their 3-point demand. The three demands were handing out exemplary punishment to the accused attendant of the patient, ensuring security in all strategic wards of the hospital including ICU, CCU, Neurosurgery and Casualty and providing security to the assaulted physician. The decision to call off work abstention came from a meeting held at the conference of the CMCH. The agitating intern students sat in the negotiation meeting with Brig Gen Khondakar Shahidul Ghani, director of the CMCH, Dr Mujibul Haque Khan, president of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA), Chittagong unit. Besides, the meeting was attended by Prof Pradip Kumar Dutt acting principal of Chittagong Medical College, Dr Monwarul Shamim, vice president of BMA, Mahbubul Alam, vice president, BMA, Dr Nasimul Patwary Shuvo, president of BCL CMC unit and Dr Mahidur Rahman, joint convener of Intern Doctors Association, CMCH, among others.  Following the negotiation meeting with the agitating intern doctors, Dr Mujibul Haque Khan, president of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA), Chittagong unit said that the son of the accused patient was arrested and case would be lodged against him later.
“Security personnel will be deployed in all strategic wards of the hospital including ICU, CCU, Neurosurgery and Casualty. Besides, the other demands will be fulfilled in phases,” added Mujibul. Earlier, the intern doctors formed a human chain in front of the hospital yesterday morning demanding exemplary punishment to the assaulters on the female intern doctor. The intern doctors went for a work abstention at around 11:00pm on Monday protesting at the alleged assault on a female intern doctor. While talking to The Independent, Mortoza Morshed Bintu, convener of Intern Doctors Association, CMCH said that they were compelled to go on a work stoppage when some attendants of a patient assaulted on Aklima Afsana Sumu, a female intern physician of the hospital.  “A group of attendants tried to visit a patient en masse at Coronary Care Unit of the hospital. We barred them and requested them not to visit en masse in the interest of the patient. Later, they again came in a body and tried to make a visit.