Intern doctors suspend strike after assurance of six-point demand implementation

Intern and postgraduate trainee doctors have suspended their ongoing work abstention and medical students' class boycott for seven working days after receiving assurance that their six-point demands would be implemented.

The announcement was made after a meeting at the Directorate General of Health Services on Monday evening, June 8, by Dr Nabil Bin Kashem, general secretary of Dhaka Medical College Hospital's Intern Doctors Society.

He said the meeting, coordinated by the health ministry and the DGHS, provided assurance that their demands would be implemented. Confirmation has also been given that they will be formally implemented within the next seven working days. Therefore, the ongoing work abstention and agitation are being suspended for seven working days from tomorrow.

Earlier, at a press conference, Health Secretary Md Kamruzzaman Chowdhury said the demands of the intern doctors are highly reasonable, and the government has taken a positive decision to resolve them through dialogue.

He announced that the monthly allowance for intern doctors has been increased from Tk 20,000 to Tk 22,000, equivalent to the basic salary of Grade-9. Additionally, doctors undergoing FCPS training will receive Grade-9 level benefits without any increment.

In line with the government's new pay scale implementation strategy, the current allowances of intern and postgraduate doctors will be increased proportionally. All private trainees who have passed FCPS Part-1 and MD/MS (Phase-1) exams will receive monthly allowances, which will be paid regularly each month.

Regarding the Health Protection Act, the health secretary said effective steps will be taken in consultation with stakeholders following all relevant processes. The proposal to increase the age limit for entry into the BCS health cadre will be recommended to the appropriate authorities.

Necessary steps will be taken to rationalise the examination fees of BCPS and Bangladesh Medical University, with the health ministry providing necessary cooperation. Effective measures will also be taken after consulting with relevant stakeholders to formulate a respectable salary structure for entry-level doctors working in private hospitals, clinics and medical colleges.