Docs-on-strike: Young doctors to launch fresh protests today

Young doctors refuse to take responsibility for any deaths in the hospitals.

ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI:

Young doctors of the twin cities’ public hospitals, currently on strike, refused to take responsibility for any deaths in the hospitals, claiming that the emergency services at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and Polyclinic hospital had not been suspended.

Refusing to bow to what they called the government’s pressure tactics, the young medics announced that they would launch a fresh series of protests on Monday. They threatened to block roads and suspend traffic in the city to rally against the arrests of young doctors and filing of false criminal cases against them.

“We might also ask the federal government to intervene in the matter if the government of Punjab does not meet our demands,” said Dr Muhammad Ajmal, a representative of the protestors. He said negotiations with the secretary of health ended without any breakthrough.

Another doctor from Pims claimed that the government had implicated the protesting doctors in false cases and was putting them behind bars for demanding their due right.

“The government had now stooped to childish acts. They are showing young laboratory students and ward-boys as young doctors and were allowing them to run emergencies. Subsequently, any deaths, whatever the cause, were being blamed on the strike,” said Dr Ajmal.

He said the doctors were well aware of the pressure tactics and emotional blackmail. “A common future strategy would soon be devised, however, the young doctors will continue their strike until the government accepts our demands,” said an on-strike young doctor. He maintained that the government was breaching the law by recruiting retired doctors on a regular basis.

“It is a violation of the Supreme Court order as well,” said Dr Ajmal, referring to secretary of health’s advertisement for walk-in-interviews of doctors to be recruited on a regular basis. He further denied that the emergency departments in Pims and Polyclinic had been suspended, as reported by certain television channels, maintaining that arrangements had been made for running the departments.

Principal Executive Officer of Rawalpindi Medical College and Allied Hospitals, Dr Afzal Farooqui, denounced the strike which, according to him, had caused immense difficulties to patients. He said that all efforts were underway to provide necessary services to patients as per government orders. “Doctors should not take steps which could cause harm to patients,” he advised.

He said that doctors were being recruited at hospitals in Rawalpindi. He added the new doctors will be paid according to the prescribed salary scales.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 4^th,  2011.