THE government has expressed its commitment to medical and socio-economic support for protesters wounded in the July-August uprising. It has also taken some steps in this direction. A number of platforms of volunteers working with the injured at an event in Dhaka on November 8, however, expressed their concern about the delay in treatment and financial support for protesters. While the government is busy examining the list of injured, at least 587 had to go through amputation and 685 people have been fully or partially blinded by shotgun pellets that law enforcers used to quell the uprising. An injured victim, also a member of Raktim July Chabbish, a platform of the victims of the July uprising, reports having faced major mismanagement in accessing health care. He also notes that the government support is not accessible to all, especially those living outside Dhaka, who do not have the digital literacy to access information circulated on social network. The government should, therefore, devise a long-term treatment and rehabilitation plan for the injured protesters at the earliest.

Volunteers, injured protesters and the families have, therefore, put forth the demands. The committee under the health ministry that coordinates the treatment and enlistment process has recently announced a hotline number that the injured can use to access related information. Many injured victims, especially with working class backgrounds, report that they have to wait too long on the phone or call a number of times to access the telephone service. Many, who returned home after their initial treatment, talked about their economic struggle for follow-up treatment in Dhaka. Without a publicly supported shelter for the injured seeking treatment in public hospitals, some have reported spending nights at bus stands or on hospital verandas. A large number of the injured are rickshaw-pullers, restaurant workers, industrial workers or roadside vendors and in their cases, their concern is not limited to medical treatment. Their family’s economic survival is also at stake. They have talked about their struggle to keep a roof over their head or pay for their children’s tuition as they have not earned for more than three months. Some injured protesters have already manifested post-traumatic stress disorder, which is left unattended.

It is high time that the government drew up a thorough plan on how to support and acknowledge people’s contribution to the uprising and make it public. The priority task for the government is to make a list of all deceased and injured in the protests under the Awami League regime and ensure emergency and long-term economic support for them. The government should also ensure equal access to treatment for all injured protesters. The government should consider forming a task force involving national and international experts with experience dealing with similar violent situations to ensure the best possible health care.