Dental services at the Chittagong Medical College (CMC) have been suspended, prompting students to launch an indefinite strike this morning to demand the establishment of a fully equipped, independent dental college in the port city.
The students argue that the existing dental department has suffered from a decade of infrastructural neglect and equipment shortages. As a result, hundreds of patients seeking treatment have been left without it, leaving them frustrated and distressed.
In a statement, the protesting students said providing adequate treatment under current conditions is “impossible” and stressed that establishing an independent dental college is crucial to safeguarding the oral health of Chittagong’s nearly 20 million residents.
They highlighted several key issues:
Long waiting times: Limited infrastructure and equipment shortages force patients to wait up to three months for appointments.
Risk of cross-contamination: Inappropriate instruments are reused across multiple patients, creating serious hygiene issues.
Lack of surgical facilities: Oral cancer patients must share operating rooms with other departments, delaying necessary surgeries.
The students announced they will close the dental department indefinitely until authorities formally commit to building a new college. They apologized for the “temporary inconvenience” and said it was for the long-term health of the patients.
Hospital officials acknowledged the strike and called the students’ concerns legitimate. Dr. Sanjay Das, Assistant Professor of Dentistry at CMC, confirmed that the establishment of a fully functional dental college is a long-standing need and said efforts are underway to convince students to resume classes.
For nearly a month, students have been staging peaceful protests, including human chain protests, to voice their demands. CMCH Director Brigadier General Mohammad Taslim Uddin told The Daily Star that the health advisor is aware of the situation and is committed to resolving it.
CMC President Professor Jasim Uddin also called the students’ demands “legitimate” and confirmed that senior education officials have been briefed and promised to meet their demands. He added that discussions are ongoing with the students to encourage them to return to class.
