The freedom fighters and their fate
The news item on the state of Hospital for FFs (The DS, 6.8.05) saddens me very much. During our very life-time we have been watching the gradual degradation of the FFs in various spheres of their existence in this country. It started with the preparation of so-called valid list of FFs several times by the government to clubbing by police of injured and disabled FFs in front of the Prime Minister's Office this year. It seems that there might have been a planned move to belittle the contribution and the existence of the FFs, and hence the disregard with these great people by the state as well as the reactionary civil servants and politicians within the government. This is expressed quite clearly in the second paragraph of the news item, and in the way the hospital reached the present state of its existence. It now seems that the government is not willing or not interested to salvage this important hospital.
Therefore, it will not be wise to lease out the hospital to some other organisation as we do not believe that it will protect the interest of the FFs and their families as well as people seeking medical treatment as such. The idea of leasing out this hospital only leads to destruction of this institution as has happened with many of such leased out concerns in the country. The best option will be to hand over this hospital to an institution or trust who has track record of caring for FFs and our glorious war of liberation. I may mention two such organisations -- The Muktijudhho Jadhughar (Segunbagicha, Dhaka) and the War Crimes Facts Finding Trust (Khilji Road, Dhaka) -- who, I hope will be willing to salvage this hospital.
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