Healthcare services at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogura suffered a major setback on Thursday morning as striking intern doctors forcibly halted all outpatient operations. Demonstrating junior doctors closed the department’s ticket counters at approximately 9:45 am, leaving hundreds of patients and their families stranded without medical care. The abrupt suspension triggered immediate outrage, prompting angry protests and violent friction on the hospital grounds.
The confrontation follows a tragic incident on Tuesday evening, when an admitted patient passed away in the medicine ward. An argument between the deceased’s family members and on-duty intern doctors quickly escalated into a violent clash, leaving several individuals from both sides injured. Citing a lack of physical protection while performing their duties, the intern doctors launched an indefinite strike on Wednesday. They have pledged to withhold all non-emergency labor until their four-point charter of demands—primarily focused on workplace security, legal accountability for the attackers, and enhanced safeguards—is fully met.
The sudden closure hit rural and low-income patients the hardest. Thousands of individuals from across Bogura and neighboring districts rely heavily on the state-run facility for affordable specialist consultations and routine follow-ups. Among those affected was 55-year-old Kohinur Begum from Rajbari village in Sherpur Upazila, who had travelled to see a specialist in the neuromedicine department. Having spent 200 taka on transport—a sum she could ill afford—she found herself turned away at the counter. With no financial means to seek private healthcare, she was forced to return home untreated, echoing the plight of countless others who had queued since early morning.
Efforts by hospital administrators to reopen the ticket counters were repeatedly thwarted by the striking staff. As news of the complete shutdown spread through the corridors, frustration boiled over. Distressed relatives and members of the public began chanting slogans against the intern doctors, resulting in a tense standoff between the two groups. Police officers arrived shortly afterwards to restore order and diffuse the volatile atmosphere.
Hospital authorities confirmed that while the outpatient department remains non-functional, emergency care services are running normally under the supervision of senior medical officers. To resolve the stalemate, the hospital administration convened a broad stakeholder meeting on Thursday afternoon. The discussions brought together senior clinicians, nursing representatives, hospital management, district administration officials, police leadership, and prominent civic leaders. Patients and their families remain hopeful that these talks will deliver enhanced security for healthcare workers while immediately restoring vital outpatient services to the public.
