Govt must act as guardian of the injured

The measures taken by the interim government for the treatment of those injured in the July uprising are uncoordinated and they lack proper monitoring, said volunteers working for the injured and families of martyred protesters.
They also said the government needs to act as a guardian of the injured.
The volunteers made the remarks at a discussion titled, “Courage amidst crisis: stories from volunteers of the July uprising” organised by The Daily Star.
This was the first storytelling session of a weeklong programme called “36 Days of July — Saluting the Bravehearts”, held at The Daily Star Centre in the capital.
Speaking at the event, Farhana Sharmin Emu, organiser of Visionary Voyage, said the interim government does not lack willingness, but they lack coordination among stakeholders.
“The government is taking many steps, but these are fragmented and not interconnected. Initially, a sub-committee under the health ministry was formed and tasked with preparing a list of the injured, deceased and missing. However, no funds were allocated for this committee.”
She said three ministries — health, social welfare, and labour — need to work together while other stakeholders with grassroots experience should be involved in the efforts. 
Emu also stated the lack of monitoring of field-level executions of the government measures.
“The framework to oversee whether strategies are being implemented effectively at the grassroots is missing. For example, while a coordination cell was announced in Dhaka hospitals, there seems to be no monitoring mechanism for its activities or accountability for its actions.” 
She added that the main challenge in ensuring treatment and rehabilitation of the injured and families of dead protesters is inequality. “There is clear difference between the treatment of the rich and that of the poor.
“The government has stated that 20,000 people are injured. Which means 20,000 families — or about 80,000 to 100,000 people — are in critical situations. The government must take the lead, and we are willing to provide full support.” 
This is not just about financial aid. The government needs to act as a guardian for the injured and develop a strategy accordingly, she said. 
Liyana Mahfuz, a volunteer of the Chattogram unit of Empowering Our Fighters platform, said injured patients from outside the capital face difficulties when coming to Dhaka, as they cannot find the government representatives designated to assist them.
“Many arrive without a place to stay in Dhaka. Although treatment is said to be free, other costs, such as for accommodation for the patients’ attendants and the transport to Dhaka, remain burdensome.”
Shakibur Rahman Rony, member and a key founder of Empowering Our Fighters, said, “While the government promises free treatment, many cannot afford to travel to Dhaka for care. Even accessing free treatment is complex. A single test requires signatures from five-six people, and often, those responsible are unavailable.” 
He stated that the injured from low-income groups are the worst victims.
“They lack financial resources and social influence. Moreover, there is a communication gap between them and the doctors. The government should have arranged for volunteers to assist patients at all times.”
Shoilee Akhund, a member of Centre for Critical Discourse, said comprehensive information about all the injured is still missing.
“There are injured victims who are intellectually challenged, as well as unidentified deceased persons who were mentally unwell.  While the lists of martyrs include students and workers, no one talks about these groups.” 
She said the government announced free medication, but there is no clarity on which medicines are free.
“Patients often have to visit hospitals multiple times for medicine…. While we’ve tried to personally provide support, this is actually the responsibility of the health department, not individuals.” 
Addressing the event, Monisha Mafruha, organiser of Chobbisher Uttara, said the government has systems and teams for ensuring treatments and rehabilitation, including frontline health workers and department officials.
“Effective communication with them could have expedited the process. Yet, even now, a complete list [of injured victims] has not been prepared.”  
She said many volunteers like her are trying to resume normal work but cannot do so as they are having to spend all their time tending to injured victims.
“We have to continue working. While we want to help, this is fundamentally the state’s responsibility. Though, the new government faces many challenges, they must engage skilled individuals and break old systems to create effective networks with stakeholders.”
Kaniz Fatima Mithila, an organiser of Loraku Chobbish, said, “We were mentally prepared to deal with critically injured people. However, our trauma began 40-45 days later when we saw people deteriorating due to mismanagement. Proper treatment from the start could have prevented many amputations.” 
She said there is still no complete list of the injured or deceased, which is a huge challenge for volunteers working for the injured.
“The process of creating these lists is also concerning. These tasks require government coordination.” 
“We initially thought our involvement would last 15-20 days, after which the government would take over, but this has not happened. Until the government acts decisively, we have no alternatives [but to continue ourselves].”
She also said there was a duplication of efforts, where multiple volunteer teams were working in the same hospital, depriving patients of other hospitals their support.
“The government should coordinate area-wise teams to avoid this. Each patient has unique requirements and the government must identify individual needs and respond accordingly.”
“Why are we not utilising the experience from the Covid-19 period, such as making an app like the ‘Shurokkha app’ and provide regular health briefings?  Why are we pushing these individuals towards worsening conditions every day?” she questioned.