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[🇧🇩] Those who are injured during student revolution

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[🇧🇩] Those who are injured during student revolution
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July Warriors: Patients who refuse to be just patients

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Signs of a clash visible inside a ward at the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital in Dhaka. Picture taken on May 29, 2025. Photo: Star

Che Guevara once said, "The true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love for the people. It is impossible to think of a genuine revolutionary lacking this quality."

But what happens when that love curdles into entitlement, when ideals decay into demands, and when revolutionaries become the very oppressors they once resisted?

That is the unfortunate irony now unfolding at three major public hospitals in Dhaka: the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital (NIOH), Bangladesh Medical University (BMU), and the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR). These institutions are meant to serve the most vulnerable, but now held hostage by patients who have already been declared fit for discharge.

Most of them are injured July protesters. While some may have legitimate grievances about past medical negligence, many are now accused of occupying beds unnecessarily, intimidating staff members, disrupting services, and depriving ordinary citizens of critical care.

According to multiple reports in The Daily Star, the crisis began with violent clashes at NIOH in late May. On May 28, hospital staff, protesters, and other patients were embroiled in a confrontation that led to injuries on all sides. Services were suspended for nearly a week.

To address the situation, the health ministry formed a four-member medical board comprising senior ophthalmologists. On June 4, the board reviewed 31 patients and recommended discharge for the majority. Hospital authorities issued discharge letters, but instead of complying, some protesters allegedly confined NIOH Acting Director Zane Alam to his office and tore up the documents.

The Daily Star's investigations revealed troubling accusations: hospital staff allege that some protesters were brokering admission to the hospital, offering bribes to fast-track surgeries, and demanding preferential treatment. Protesters, meanwhile, insist they face neglect and demand the removal of certain doctors. Even if their complaints are valid, their methods, holding hospitals hostage, undermine their cause.

The hypocrisy is glaring. Those who once marched against injustice now risk becoming what they despised, weaponizing victimhood to cling to privilege. Their refusal to vacate beds, their demands for special treatment, and their coercion of hospital staff are not acts of resistance, they are symptoms of entitlement. A movement born for justice now teeters on self-parody.

Director Zane Alam stated, "The fear among doctors and nurses has not completely disappeared, but we are trying to restore their confidence."

Yet how long can professionals work under duress while hospital corridors remain a battleground?

Md Abul Kenan, director of NITOR said: "Most of these patients no longer need hospital admission. They can continue treatment at home."

And yet, they remain, blocking critical care for others. A Prothom Alo report on June 2 described a patient from Demra who arrived for surgery only to find the hospital shut. "When will I get another date? I don't know," he said. His story is not unique but represents many.

If some protesters require advanced care beyond what these hospitals can offer , the government should transfer them to specialized facilities, or arrange treatment abroad if absolutely necessary. But permitting indefinite occupation of public hospitals is unconscionable.

Here lies the deeper crisis; state paralysis. Despite having medical assessments, administrative authority, and public mandate, the government has failed to act. Is this fear? Appeasement? Sheer incompetence? Whatever the reason, the result is the same: a betrayal of public trust.

This is not mere mismanagement. It is a moral collapse. By allowing healthcare to be monopolized by a vocal few, the state surrenders the soul of public service to the loudest, not the neediest.

Our hospitals exist to heal bodies, not feed egos. Our government must serve the public, not coddle political pawns. And those who once wore the mantle of heroes must now answer: Will they uphold the ideals they fought for, or cling to beds they no longer need?

Arafat Rahaman is a journalist at The Daily Star.​
 

Unified, effective system needed to support injured protesters
08 July, 2025, 00:00

IT WILL soon be a year since the authoritarian Awami League regime was toppled in a mass uprising. Yet, the injured protesters still struggle to access long-term health care and rehabilitation. In attempts to violently repress the protest, the police and the Awami League’s armed goons fired bullets, sound grenades and other ammunition, which left at least 834 people dead and 20,000 more injured. About 600 people lost partial or full vision from pellet injuries. The interim government repeatedly promised quality medical care and sustainable rehabilitation for the injured, but the programmes still lack coordination to realise the promise. On July 6, at a meeting organised by Visionary Voice, a platform of volunteers supporting the injured protesters, speakers noted that the government fell behind in preparing a list of injured and martyred protesters. For medical support and access to compensation, victims need to get enlisted, but the enlistment and verification process is complex and unfriendly, particularly for working-class victims. Meanwhile, injured survivors, the majority of whom are from the working class, keep living in a state of financial and physical instability.

The government announced that families of the deceased would receive Tk 10 lakh in savings certificates while the injured victims would receive Tk 3 lakh, Tk 2 lakh or Tk 1 lakh based on the severity of injuries. Injured protesters considered the scheme unjust and arbitrary as many had already spent more than the amount on treatment. Volunteer groups supporting injured victims in navigating health bureaucracy have repeatedly said that the government needs to consider the cost of treatment incurred before the fall of the Awami League regime. The compensation scheme cannot be an arbitrary figure. Moreover, the compensation disbursement process is also flawed. Some injured received assistance multiple times while many are left without any help. The government’s injury categorisation and assessment scheme also appear flawed. People with severe injuries allege that they are wrongly categorised and fear that they will not receive the required support. There has so far been no progress in rehabilitating either the injured or the families of the uprising martyrs.

It is high time that the government delivered on its promises by ensuring long-term, free quality medical care and rehabilitating the injured and families of the martyred. It should expedite the verification process and publish the list of injured and martyred victims. Instead of arbitrarily announcing a financial package for the injured, the government should consult global models that are used to assess physical injury, psychological pain and economic loss for the victims in post-conflict situations.​
 

1,500 flats planned in Dhaka for July Uprising victims

FE Online Desk
Published :
Jul 09, 2025 21:50
Updated :
Jul 09, 2025 21:50

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The government has approved a Tk 13.44 billion (1,344 crore) project to build over 1,500 flats in Dhaka for distribution among those severely injured during the July uprising for free.

The National Housing Authority under the Ministry of Housing and Public Works will construct the flats on government land in Mirpur Section-9.

Each 1,250-square-foot flat will include two bedrooms, a living room, dining space, kitchen, and three bathrooms. One specially designed room will be there to cater to the need of injured individuals, particularly those with disabilities or loss of eyesight.

The initiative follows an earlier project, involvingthe construction of 804 flats in Mirpur Section 14 at a cost of Tk 7.62 billion, to provide the families of those martyred in the uprising with housing.

National Housing Authority Chairman Syed MdNurul Bashir said the construction will take four years, and flat allocations will be determined later based on injury severity. “Many victims lost mobility or vision during the movement. The government is ensuring these homes are fully accessible,” he added.

On 7 July, the Planning Commission’s Project Evaluation Committee gave preliminary approval to the plan. Both housing schemes are expected to be cleared at an upcoming ECNEC meeting and completed by 2029.

According to government data, 1,401 people were severely injured in the July uprising, with 19 losing their eyesight completely and 382 partially blinded.

Besides, 834 individuals have been officially recognised as martyrs. The government has been supporting affected families through grants and monthly allowances, and the new housing initiative aims to provide them with permanent, accessible living spaces.​
 

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