Attack on Maldivian doctors: 'Not related to Bangladeshi deportations'

Two Maldivian doctors, who were undergoing internships at the Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) in Bangladesh, were attacked by a group of locals while they were on duty on Friday.

The incident has sparked fear in the hearts of some Maldivians, and they are speculating on social media that it was done by the Bangladeshis in retaliation for the government's crackdown on illegal immigrants in Maldives.

Bangladesh is a country where a large number of Indian students go to study medicine and complete internships. However, with this incident, some people are saying that the country is no longer a safe place for Maldivians.

'This is not an attack related to what is happening in Maldives'

"Everyone knows what is happening recently [with the change of government in Bangladesh]. Similar things happen to Bangladeshi doctors," a student said.

Two female doctors on duty in the ward were attacked by a family member of a patient who died while undergoing treatment at CMCH. The family alleged that the man died after one of the doctors gave him a wrong injection.

Despite the Maldivian intern’s claims that there was no truth to the matter, a female relative of the deceased patient repeatedly assaulted one of the doctors and tried to forcefully drag the other by the arm.

Maldivian doctors in Bangladesh say the incident would have happened no matter who was on duty at the time. The presence of Maldivian doctors at that time was a coincidence, they said.

The incident has nothing to do with the deportation of Bangladeshi workers from Maldives, the doctors doing their internships at CMCH said in a statement.

Strikes are still going on at various levels in Bangladesh following the recent change of government. The security staff of CMCH were also on strike when the incident occurred. Therefore, there were no security providers at the time.

“When we spoke to the director [of CMCH] over the issue, he too said it happened because, following the collapse of the last government, the hospital did not have adequate security staff and there was inadequate security in the wards,” the doctors said in their statement.

The director has assured the doctors that more security staff will be deployed in the coming days. The Maldivian government has also requested the hospital through the High Commission to do so.

"Don't link everything to politics. This has nothing to do with what is happening in Maldives, it has to do with the recent major changes in Bangladesh," said a Maldivian medical student in the country, responding to social media speculation.

"The laws are no longer in force now. With the change of government, the wards do not have proper security and patients' families come and go whenever they want. Everyone here is working for their own rights and safety”.

Students in Bangladesh are repeatedly asking not to spread lies and propaganda about the incident. They also ask that the incident not be used to promote racial discrimination or misrepresent foreigners.