Trainee doctors stage demonstrations again

Postgraduate private trainee doctors have been protesting at Dhaka's Shahbagh intersection demanding Tk 35,000 from January, rejecting the offer of Tk 30,000 monthly allowance from January and Tk 35,000 from July.

A coordinator of the protesters said on Sunday evening that they will decide whether to suspend the movement or not once a notification is issued accepting their demands.

A group of protesters staged a protest by lighting candles on the road in the evening while others took position in parts of the intersection to block traffic on the road.

Traffic congestion hit different roads in the capital, including Shahbagh, as the doctors blocked the key intersection since the beginning of the day. Medical services in different hospitals, including Dhaka, have been disrupted as doctors did not join work in the hospitals.

Coordinator of the Post Graduate Private Trainee Doctors Association Dr Nurunnabi told bdnews24.com on Sunday evening that they had accepted the government's offer of Tk 35,000 as an allowance. But it has to be paid from January instead of July.

"We had a meeting with Dr Sayedur Rahman sir, the special assistant to the chief advisor. They said Tk 30,000 will be paid from January and Tk 35,000 from July. We have already moved on from our previous demand of Tk 50,000. Now our demand is that if you give Tk 35,000, then it should be paid from January. We are still in Shahbagh. If our demands are met, we will leave." On Sunday morning, postgraduate private trainee doctors blocked the capital's Shahbagh once again around 11:30am, rejecting the government's announcement of a Tk 5,000 increase in their monthly stipend.

Later in the afternoon, a meeting was held between the protesting doctors and Dr Sayedur at his residence in the capital's Hare Road.

The meeting, which began after 2:30pm, was attended by National Citizens Committee member Mohammad Abdul Ahad, DAB treasurer Md Zahirul Haque Shakil, NDF vice president Dr Atiar Rahman and others.

NDF leader Atiar told bdnews24.com, "There was a demand to increase their allowance. In the meeting, Prof Sayedur Sir proposed to give Tk 35,000 on behalf of the government."

"But it will be given in the next budget. As far as I understand, the postgraduate private trainee doctors have left from there by accepting the decision."
"They have made a demand, we request them to consider the government's position as well. We also urge them to return to work as the treatment of patients at the hospitals gets disrupted if they remain on the streets."

The protesters chanted slogans opposing the proposal when coordinator Dr Nurunnabi disclosed the decision after arriving at Shahbagh from the meeting.

"We have said that the notification must be issued by noon [Monday] and we will announce our decision later," he said.

Around 6pm, doctors were seen sitting on the road with candles at the Shahbagh intersection. The doctors blocked the road and shouted slogans.
Shahbagh Police Station chief Mohammad Khalid Mansur said the road was closed until 7pm.

He told bdnews24.com, "They are still blocking the road and as a result, traffic is disrupted. We are communicating at different levels and trying to convince them to leave the road."

Around 10,000 postgraduate trainee doctors across the country play a vital dual role, balancing advanced medical studies with providing essential healthcare services in government hospitals.

This protest marks the latest chapter in a longstanding dispute. In 2022, similar demonstrations led to an increase in the stipend from Tk 5,000 to Tk 25,000 during the final months of the now-deposed Awami League government. However, the protesters had been objecting to the new allowance, claiming that it was "unreasonable".

After the interim government came to power, doctors relaunched their protests to demand an increase in the allowance. On Dec 22, they blocked the road in Shahbagh, which brought traffic to a halt. Later, they left the road after receiving assurances from the Anti-discrimination Student Movement leader Sarjis Alam that their demands would be met.

Under the circumstances, the Finance Division issued a notification on Dec 23 increasing the stipend of unpaid trainees of the Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons, or BCPS, who passed the first phase by Tk 5,000 to Tk 30,000.

In a statement rejecting the announcement, the Doctors Movement for Justice said: "Breaking promises with post-graduate private trainee doctors is nothing new. But in this new Bangladesh, any discrimination will no longer be tolerated."

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