At least 25 nurses on hunger strike outside the National Press Club during the ongoing heat wave fell sick Friday and were shifted to Dhaka Madical College Hospital (DMCH) for emergency treatment.
The nurses have been protesting government decision to recruit nurses through entry test to be conducted by Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC).
Unemployed nurses resorted to fast unto death Friday evening after 26 days into their non-stop sit-in in front of the Club seeking jobs based on their seniority, passing out batches and intelligence. They also demanded scrapping of a notice for appointing nurses through recruitment examinations. The nurses began their movement on April 4 under the joint banner of Bangladesh Diploma Bekar Nurses' Association and Bangladesh Basic Graduate Nurses' Society.
"We began fast-unto-death programme as none from the government paid heed to our demand during the past 26 days into our non-stop sit-in programme," Bangladesh Diploma Bekar Nurses' Association General Secretary Farukh Hossain said. Most of the sick nurses are women.
About 200 agitating nurses joined the hunger strike in the evening.
The caregivers began their protest since March 30, two days after the Public Service Commission had published an advertisement to appoint 3,616 senior staff nurses through recruitment examinations, an unprecedented system to appoint nurses in the country, nurses said. After assuming power in 2009, they said, the Awami League government appointed nurses in two phases as per their seniority, passing out batch number and intelligence.
The nurses' leaders alleged that the government initiative to appoint nurses through recruitment tests was meant for 'doing appointment business.' They urged the PSC to withdraw the March 28 appointment circular, immediately.