Patients at the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR) suffered yesterday as hospital staff staged a six-hour work stoppage following a clash with those injured during the July uprising.

Emergency treatment remained suspended, and surgeries were briefly halted, causing severe disruption. Services at the emergency ward resumed after 6:00pm, Prof Md Abul Kenan, NITOR's director, told The Daily Star around 7:40pm. 

At least 15 people, including three students (injured during uprising) and three Ansar personnel, were injured. One Ansar member is in critical condition.

Several rooms in the hospital's administration block, including the director's office, were vandalised. Some patients reportedly left without treatment but later returned. 

Read more

Uprising injured block road in front of NITOR

The clash erupted after  the injured activists accused hospital staff of malpractice. Rajib Mia, a student injured in the uprising, claimed they had warned authorities about irregularities before, but no action was taken.

On Sunday night, students allegedly caught a "broker" demanding money for blood arrangements and beat him up. However, hospital staff said the man was an employee of the Blood Transfusion Unit. 

Tensions escalated when staff confronted the injured students around noon, leading to violence. Witnesses said students vandalised four rooms in the administration block, while students claimed over 100 staffers and outsiders attacked them, injuring 10. Staffers countered that eight to ten of them were hurt, including Ansar member Ruhul Amin, who was later found unconscious at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital. 

Following the clash, hospital staff ceased work, shutting down ticket counters and X-ray rooms. Male nurses and ward boys were also absent. 

Critically injured patient Asadullah, who arrived from Bakerganj, Barishal, was left untreated. "Is this a hospital? How can an emergency department remain closed for so long?" his brother, Salam Sikder, said. 

Prof Kenan attributed the incident to a dispute over a blood-related issue. He said video footage was being reviewed, and action would be taken against those responsible.