Shawdesh Desk:
Treatment at the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital remained suspended for second consecutive days on Thursday, following a clash among hospital staff, patients seeking outdoor treatment, and those admitted after being injured in the July-August 2024 uprising on Wednesday.
The clash left at least 21 people injured.
During a visit to the hospital on Thursday at about 11:30am, the main gate was seen closed, with several RAB and police personnel present on the premises.
Meanwhile, Ansars, who are in charge of security, were seen turning away patients who came to the hospital from both within and outside Dhaka.
An elderly woman named Zohra Khatun, who came from Jamalpur in the morning to get her glasses fixed and consult doctors, was seen standing in the rain, drenched and helpless.
‘I have no one in this city. I came early so I could return home today. But now the hospital is closed, and I don’t have the money to go to somewhere else,’ said Zohra, who lost both her husband and only daughter.
Traces of blood were seen in the hospital corridors from those injured in the clash, while several glass of two windows on the fourth floor—where patients injured in the July uprising are admitted—were found shattered. The lifts remained closed, and no doctors, nurses, or staff were seen inside the hospital.
The patients injured in the July uprising were seen in their rooms—some resting or asleep, while others passed the time chatting with fellow patients.
Ruhan Mahmud,on who lost his right eye at Kushtia Sadar Thana Mor on August 4 and has since been in and out of the hospital, said they did not initiate the clash; rather, it was the hospital staff who attacked them first.
Most of the general patients left the hospital on Wednesday, and some were seen leaving on Thursday, However, a few patients still were seen staying at the hospital.
Kawsar Ahmed, who came from Narayanganj and was admitted on Tuesday and underwent eye surgery the same day, is staying at the fourth floor. ‘I’m confused about what to do. I’m waiting for the situation to return to normal so I can complete my treatment.’
According to the patients, including those injured in the July uprising, none of them have received food or treatment since Wednesday noon.
NIOH director Khair Ahmed Choudhury, who went on a seven-day leave starting from Wednesday, told New Age on Wednesday night that the hospital’s staff, doctors, and nurses began a work stoppage demanding their security, a day after he was besieged by protesters following suicide attempts by four July Uprising survivors.
At one point, a clash broke out among hospital staff, outdoor patients and those injured in the 2024 July Uprising, leaving around 12 hospital staff, including three doctors, injured, he added.
Md Abdul Khalek, a July Uprising victim admitted at the hospital, said that at least nine July injured were hurt in the clash and went to seek treatment at other hospitals.
The clash began at about 11:00am, and the situation was brought under control by the army and police at about 2:00pm.
‘Currently, only the July Uprising injured—both those admitted here and joined from other hospitals—are at NIOH. All other patients, doctors, and staff have left the hospital,’ the hospital director said, adding that a meeting is scheduled to be held with the health ministry on Thursday afternoon to take decision in this regard.
The director, who is considering not returning to the hospital after his leave due to insecurity, said there was an alleged rift among the July injured over access to facilities, including treatment abroad.
On Tuesday, several individuals injured in the July Uprising went to the NIOH director’s room to discuss issues related to their treatment and, at one point, threatened to pour petrol on their bodies. The director, who was confined for two hours, was later escorted out of the room by the army, police, and with help from several July-injured individuals, he said.
Recounting the incident, he said that around 2:00pm, three of the injured men first came to his room to discuss treatment related issue, followed shortly by four others—whom he described as their opponents—and an argument broke out between the two groups, escalating into a scuffle and eventually drawing up to 40 people into his room. They even vandalised his room.
However, Abdul Khalek, who was present during all the incidents at the hospital, said they had no intention of besieging the hospital director and that one of their fellows, who had earlier consumed poison, brought the petrol out of frustration.
He added that on Wednesday, hospital staff first got into a verbal clash with some outdoor patients, and later beat one of the July injured before attacking other injured individuals living at the hospital’s fourth floor, which further escalated the tension.
The situation grew more tensed when law enforcers charged batons on them at about 3:00pm, said the July injured.
He said that the situation become ‘normal’ after the July Shaheed Smrity Foundation CEO came to the spot in the evening and talked with the agitated injured and the law enforcers.
Meanwhile, in a press release issued on Wednesday night, the July Shaheed Smrity Foundation condemned the incident and demanded a fair investigation to bring all those directly involved, as well as those who instigated it, to justice.
The release said that although the July injured were staying at the hospital at the request of law enforcers, they were not receiving proper treatment, food, or other necessary support, which is a clear violation of international humanitarian laws.
On Sunday, four men, including one recently returned from abroad after treatment, who had suffered eye injuries during the July mass uprising attempted suicide by ingesting poison at the NIOH, reportedly out of frustration over their unmet demands.
The victims — severely injured during mass uprising that led to the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024 — have repeatedly alleged that despite government promises, they had not received adequate medical support or rehabilitation.
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