Shawdesh Desk:

Doctors at Dinajpur Medical College Hospital have staged a human chain protest against an assault on a fellow doctor.

They gathered in front of the Dinajpur Press Club on Tuesday morning demanding immediate legal action against the culprits and warning of further demonstrations if no measures are taken.

Fellow doctors, alongside other colleagues, have rallied to demand legal action against the attackers and to ensure the safety of medical professionals.

Speakers at the human chain included Gynaecology specialists Professor Ishrat Sharmin and Professor Jahan Ara Begum Munni, Paediatrician Fatema Farzana, and Surgery Department Professor Abdus Salam.

Protesters have warned that they will announce new programmes if authorities fail to act promptly. One doctor said, ‘We will not stand by if action is not taken to protect our safety and dignity as medical professionals.’

The protest stems from an incident on December 26, where Dr Arju Shamima Rahman, assistant professor and Gynaecology Surgeon, was assaulted allegedly by the husband and relatives of a patient.

According to the protesting doctors, the patient had been referred from another medical centre on December 25 and was scheduled for a Caesarean operation on December 26. However, the patient consumed cake and biscuits that morning, contrary to the doctor’s instructions.

Concerned about complications and the patient’s fitness for anaesthesia, Dr Rahman declined to proceed with the immediate operation. This led to the patient’s husband and relatives shoving and assaulting her in front of the operation theatre.