Doctors Praised as Heroes of July 2024 Mass Uprising

Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus -File Photo

Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus has paid glowing tribute to doctors and health workers, calling them the unsung heroes of the July 2024 mass uprising for risking their lives to treat the injured.

“You are not just doctors—you are the heroes of July. You are a living symbol of courage, humanity, and responsibility. The nation will never forget your service during those dark days,” he said in a video message at a commemorative event held at the Shaheed Abu Sayeed Convention Center.

Opening his address with condolences, the Chief Adviser expressed deep sorrow over a Bangladesh Air Force training jet crash into Milestone School and College. “This is a moment of profound national grief,” he said, praying for the victims and wishing a swift recovery for the injured.

Turning to the July events, Prof Yunus recalled how doctors and nurses defied fear, repression, and threats to care for injured protesters despite the fascist regime's attempts to block medical access.

“Even when bloodied students were attacked in the streets, medical workers treated them—often in secret, at great personal risk. Arrests were made inside hospitals, surveillance footage was seized, and treatment was criminalised,” he said.

Doctors reportedly removed patient records to protect identities and treated the wounded without official approval, often in makeshift clinics in garages and homes.

“Many private doctors entered government hospitals discreetly. Equipment and medicines were scarce, but you found a way. Blood was in short supply, yet you arranged it quietly. Prescriptions were written with false names to shield patients from arrest,” he noted.

He said the acts of these "medical warriors" were comparable to battlefield doctors.

“You yourselves were in danger—your families were in danger—yet you stood tall, overcoming obstacles like mountains to save lives,” the Chief Adviser said.

On behalf of the nation, he expressed his heartfelt gratitude and respect to all the doctors and health workers who served during the July uprising.