Indian med students in Bangladesh in dilemma over return
Times of India | 8 August 2024
Kolkata: Around 300-500 Indian medical students in Dhaka are in a dilemma whether to flee or stay back and cater to the wounded at the hospitals.
“The college authorities have shut the gates and we are safe inside. The sounds of gunshots used to pierce the air, creating a sense of immediate danger and fear even in our rooms. The gunfire was often followed by the noise of sirens and the cries of people caught in the chaos,” said Promit Saha (26) from Kolkatawho is interning as a doctor at Pioneer Dental College and Hospital in Dhaka.
The disruptions affected the students’ daily activities and their academic schedules.“There has been shortage of food, water, electricity and gas supply,” said Saha, who has decided to stay back in Bangladesh for now.
Arpan Maiti (29) from Midnapore who is an intern at BGC Trust Medical College and Hospital, Chandanaish, around 35 km from Chittagong, said the daily footfall at his department has seen a two-fold rise in the last two weeks.
“After violence broke out, we knew there would be an influx of patients. The hospital needed more hands and hence, I decided to stay back. The number of patients in our department has gone up to 50-55 per day during the unrest, compared to the usual 20-25,” he said.
“In the initial days of the unrest and the first phase of the curfew, the hospital supplies were running out and refilling the cache was a huge task for our team,” he said.
Meanwhile, ministry of external affairs (MEA) sources said around 7,500 to 8,000 students have been brought back from Bangladesh. “If any student wants to come back, s/he just needs to be in touch with the Indian high commission in Bangladesh,” the sources said.