Punjab government will not hold talks with striking doctors: Sanaullah

Punjab law minister says doctors persistent on holding strikes will be blacklisted, terminated.


Web Desk/ali Usman July 03, 2012

LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that the provincial government will not hold talks with the doctors on strike, and the ones who are persistent on holding strikes will be blacklisted and terminated.

He added that the strike will not be accepted at any cost, and added that the few doctors who are still striking will also take back their strike soon.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government accepted the unconditional apology of 24 out of 25 doctors detained under 16 MPO at Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore.

The doctors have been taken to Chief Minister Secretariat where they will have a meeting with Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, Senator Pervaiz Rashid and Special Assistant to Chief Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique.

An official at Central Jail told The Express Tribune, that those who have been shifted to CM Secretariat signed affidavits stating that they tender unconditional apology and wouldn’t go on strike again.

YDA office bearers, on the other hand, said these doctors weren’t YDA members but were students of medical colleges who were arrested by police without verification.

Senior doctors withdraw services from PIC in Lahore

Earlier, senior doctors at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) announced the closure of all departments at the hospital other than the Emergency ward, and demanded that arrested young doctors be released immediately.

Speaking during a press conference on Tuesday, Medical Teachers Association (MTA) President at PIC, Dr Ijaz Ahsan said that senior doctors were withdrawing their services from all departments, including the Outpatient Department (OPDs) and Indoor Departments.

“Young doctors are the backbone of our system. All arrested young doctors, particularly young doctors of PIC should be released immediately,” said Ahsan.

He said doctors currently deputed at PIC were untrained and could not handle heart patients. “It takes a doctor 10 years to do FCPS and then another five-year’s training to become a cardiologist. How could you expect new doctors to come and replace those who have already completed their training?”

Ahsan said only two doctors were present in the Emergency ward at PIC last night, adding that they had been “abused and threatened” by the attendants as they had been unable to handle the situation.

“Senior doctors are in their 50s and cannot do rigorous work for 24 hours. That is why we are demanding that our doctors should be released immediately,” Ahsan maintained.

He said the government was beguiling patients and the media by showing that they had deployed doctors at all hospitals.

Young Doctors Association (YDA) office bearer of PIC Dr Sami Ijaz said that there had been no problems at the Emergency during the young doctor’s strike as most OPD patients had been treated there. He said by conducting raids and arresting doctors the government had forced them to boycott and withdraw their services from the Emergency and Indoor as well.

Representatives of the Paramedical Alliance of PIC and Young Nurses Association (YNA) also supported the MTA and announced that they will stop working at PIC.

PIC Lahore is a specialised hospital where heart patients come from across the country for treatment.


COMMENTS (75)

saher | 11 years ago | Reply

I dont get it, why are the general people confusing salary raise with service structure??? there is a huge difference! Kindly get your facts clear! and before calling the docs in pakistan butchers, thank them for staying in Pakistan in such conditions, every month docs leave Pakistan for middle east as there are better opportunities there, and we are deprived of the most competent ones. Why is govt reluctant to show them a clear path, why is it reluctant to improve conditions of hospitals, is it reluctant to to recruit more docs?? i seriously doubt that has anything to do with plight of the poor...

Akhter Malik | 11 years ago | Reply

When did the judiciary become immune to all sorts of criticism? Contempt of court? Seems like everything thing is contempt of court these days. The judiciary has become a decadent and toothless body exercising authority on the weak while nudging and winking at the elite. Although the concept is essential and noble but implementation and actual power of getting things done is lacking. Why did the court not take action when Punjab govt failed to fulfill their promises to the YDA? Who authorized the arrests of young doctors which set alight a fire in the chest of every young doctor in the country leading them to close opds in KPK and Balochistan? Do these lawyers and judges know anything about the plight of a young Doc? Can they take care of patients by themselves? Their job is much easier than the job of a doc and i must say much less important as well and if that qualifies as contempt of court them i am guilty. They forget that when they will one day get sick or be on their deathbed they will also remember those docs that they once condemned.

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