Unending misery: Citizens curse their luck as govt dilly-dallies

Hours-long gridlock causing massive inconvenience to residents

LAHORE: The plight of 10 million Lahoris can be judged with a glimpse at the busiest arteries of the city. For the past four days, Mall Road, Abbot Road, China Chowk, Canal Road and all major thoroughfares have been chock-a-block with vehicles.

At least two hours are needed for a journey that normally takes 10 minutes. All thanks to a few disgruntled doctors from a fractured group of Young Doctors Association (YDA), who have blocked the busiest road of Lahore.

“The government initiated a crackdown against PTI as it thought Imran Khan’s protest could topple the government,” said Ahmed Arif, a resident of China Chowk who was stuck in traffic for at least two hours on Friday. “Now they [government] have left millions of residents at the mercy of these butchers,” he added while referring to the protesting doctors, whose strike at hospitals has already killed two patients.

“Not only are the doctors committing crimes by closing down hospitals but also disrupting the lives of millions of people by blocking the main road,” he said. “The government has become silent spectator.”

Another commuter Amir Sheikh, who got stuck in traffic while on his way to his office near the Upper Mall, believed the residents of Lahore must have committed a sin to be awarded with such a pathetic government.

“The government has no interest in serving the people,” he said, demanding an immediate crackdown against the protesting doctors, who had held the city hostage for several days. “Are they more powerful than Imran Khan? They have taken all civic bodies hostage but the government seems reluctant to act against them,” he added.

Not much support

The doctors have not found much support from even their colleagues. Cracks have already appeared within the YDA owing to internal rifts and allegations of massive corruption in different sections of the organisation.

Many insiders have told The Express Tribune that doctors are earning millions of rupees by institutional-based corruption.

There are several factions within the YDA with three at Mayo Hospital, two at Children’s Hospital, two at Jinnah Hospital and two more at Sir Ganga Raam hospital. The protesting YDA is a small group of juniors doctors.

YDA founding member Dr Aftab Ashraf said the organisation needed a new central leadership much more resolute and with concrete demands.

He claimed the current leadership was wasting energy on petty demands. “When the YDA was emerging, it consisted of genuine young doctors but now they have no vision,” he added.

Petition against sit-in

A writ petition was also filed in the Lahore High Court on Friday, challenging the doctors’ sit-in on Mall Road.

The petitioner has requested the court to order FIRs against doctors and suspend their practice licences as they were causing massive inconvenience for the public. He claimed that all emergency and out-patient departments of main hospitals of the city had been closed owing to the doctors’ sit-in.

He stated that three deaths have been reported in Lahore owing to the non-availability of emergency services at hospitals and the negligence of the doctors could not be ignored. He contended that doctors took oath of protecting human lives but in this case they did not bother to save lives.

The plaintiff stated the doctors could not suspend services of hospitals legally. Thousands of patients need medical treatment but the doctors are busy in their sit-in.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th, 2016.