Police blocked doctors' march from Central Shaheed Minar towards the Ministry of Health at 1:20pm on Wednesday to demand the fulfilment of four remaining demands after one had been addressed through a High Court ruling.
Their progress was blocked by police at Doel Chattar and later at Shikkha Bhaban.
The protesting doctors said that they were marching towards the Ministry of Health with legitimate demands, but the police were attempting to stop them.
They warned that if anything bad happened to the doctors, the responsibility would fall on Dr Saidur Rahman and the health adviser. They also declared they would not go home until their remaining four demands were met.
Dr Habibur Rahman Sohag said: "One of our five demands has been fulfilled, but all five demands must be met."
When the protest march reached Doel Chattar, the police requested that they send representatives instead of everyone attending.
However, doctors and medical students disregarded the police obstruction and continued their march beyond Doel Chattar. They were later stopped at the Shikkha Bhaban by the police.
Earlier, from 11am, doctors had gathered at the Central Shaheed Minar in anticipation of the verdict. Doctors and medical students from various parts of the capital and the country joined the protest.
The five demands of the doctors are as follows:
- Only those with an MBBS/BDS degree should be allowed to use the title "doctor." The writ petition against the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) must be withdrawn within 72 hours. Registration by BMDC should only be provided to MBBS/BDS graduates. Since 2010, the Sheikh Hasina government has been allowing Medical Assistant Training School (Mats) graduates to register with BMDC. This practice must be immediately stopped.
- The Over-The-Counter (OTC) drug list should be updated to be consistent with the medical system of developed countries. Only those with an MBBS or BDS degree should be able to prescribe medications outside the OTC list. Pharmacies should not sell any medicine outside the OTC list without a registered doctor's prescription.
- The shortage of doctors in the healthcare sector must be addressed by recruiting 10,000 doctors quickly to fill all vacant positions. A separate health commission should be established to hire doctors at the previous grade levels. Annually, 4,000 to 5,000 doctors must be recruited to maintain balance in the health sector. The age limit for doctors in the BCS exams should be set to 34 years.
- All Medical Assistant Training Schools (Mats) and substandard public and private medical colleges should be shut down. For those who have already graduated from Mats, the title of assistant community medical officer should be revoked, and they should be appointed as medical assistants.
- A Doctor Protection Law must be enacted and swiftly implemented to ensure the safety of doctors in their workplace. This follows the context of an unexpected terrorist attack on September 3 at Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s emergency department. Despite promises made by higher authorities to implement a Health Protection Law within seven days, it has yet to be realized, even after seven months. The Doctor Protection Law must be implemented immediately.