ABSTRACT:
rontline medical professionals often sustain severe psychological injuries during periods of civic unrest. during the july 2024 uprising in bangladesh, healthcare workers managed a surge in traumatic injuries exceeding typical capacity by 133% , yet institutional mental health support remained virtually non-existent. while these professionals are hailed as heroes, the absence of formal psychological safeguards leaves them vulnerable to long-term burnout and moral injury.

METHODS:
this study employed a mixed-methods approach, analyzing survey data and qualitative interviews from 53 healthcare professionals stationed in high-intensity urban zones during the crisis. the research evaluated the disparity between the high demand for mental health resources and the actual provision of care within public and private hospital frameworks.

RESULTS:
quantitative findings reveal a staggering demand for systemic reform: 89% of participants identified mandatory mental health check-ins as a future necessity. currently, the system relies on informal coping, as only 11% of respondents received psychological first aid (PFA) through formal channels during the uprising. furthermore, 100% of interviewed professionals reported feeling mentally unprepared for the disaster and unsupported by their institutions.

CONCLUSIONS:
to bridge this gap, this paper proposes a policy template for the ministry of health to transition PFA from an informal peer-support mechanism into a mandatory institutional protocol. by codifying quarterly check-ins and structured debriefs into hospital standard operating procedures (SOPs), bangladesh can move beyond reactive hero-worship toward a resilient, proactive healthcare infrastructure that treats psychological safety as a core pillar of emergency surge planning.