Doctors extend strike to emergency wards

YDA says ‘positives but no breakthrough’ in meeting with Zulfiqar Khosa.

LAHORE:

The Young Doctors’ Association (YDA) Punjab on Wednesday decided to observe a complete strike extending its boycott of work at teaching hospitals to emergency wards.

A meeting with the provincial government delegation ended without a result.

Health Secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad told The Express Tribune that the Health Department was not taking any action against the protesting doctors because the chief minister had stopped them.

He said the doctors had been told that there was no way the government could meet their demand for a pay raise at this point. He said the government would be in a position to consider that once the budget for the next fiscal year was planned and approved.

On another note, Fawad said the emergency wards would not be affected by the strike. He said replacements had been arranged and the emergency wards would keep functioning to their capacity.

Senior Advisor to the Chief Minister Sirdar Zulfiqar Khosa who was leading the delegation, told the Tribune that he had made it clear to the doctors that the government was willing to give them a reasonable pay raise, but they should resume work at hospitals.

Mayo Hospital medical superintendent Dr Zahid Pervaiz said that doctors were offered a 10 to 15 per cent raise in salaries if they suspend the strike immediately but they declined the proposal. He said the hospital already had a contingency plan so that work at the emergency wards would not be affected.

YDA-Punjab’s Children’s Hospital president Nasir Bukhari said that although the meeting had ended without a result, there were some positives. He said Khosa had offered to arrange a meeting between a YDA delegation and the chief minister if the doctors started providing treatment at the hospitals.

However, he said the provincial executive council had concluded that unless there was a clear plan for the future meetings, the strike would continue.

Meanwhile, patients at the emergency wards of several public hospitals faced serious problems.

Amanat Ali, a Sharqpur resident, said his 18-year-old daughter was hit by a pull cart and referred to Mayo Hospital in Lahore. He said the doctors refused to treat her.

Muhammed Akram who had brought his pregnant wife to the emergency ward of the Lahore General Hospital for a delivery was told to take her to a private clinic. He said the doctors on duty said they could admit his wife because they were on strike. “What is the point of public hospitals?” asked Akram. He said he could not afford to get his baby delivered at a private hospital.

LGH medical superintendent Zafar Ikram refused to go on record in this regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2011.