LAHORE: The plight of hapless people in Punjab is evident at government hospitals these days. The chaos at slip counters for medical checkups depicts that neither the government nor the doctors are serious about patient’s care.
Thursday was the fourth consecutive day of the strike by junior doctors around Punjab – the fourth consecutive day of misery.
Though the health department was able to partially restore the outpatient departments (OPDs) at different hospitals around 11am, thousands of patients had already returned home by then.
Government hospitals have recently become the battlegrounds for junior doctors, whose shouting matches, brawls and torture of patients has become a routine.
A labourer, Abdul Wahid, has been visiting the Services Hospital for the past two days. He cannot afford medical check-ups at private hospitals for his fever that has afflicted him for four days now. The poor daily wager has been skipping
work for two days and has no money left.
“I am not alone here for the treatment, there are hundreds who do not have money for treatment at private clinics,” Wahid says while talking to The Express Tribune. “I wish the doctors open the hospital for tomorrow and find another way to get their demands fulfilled.”
The situation is the same at Jinnah, Lady Aitchison, Lahore General and Children hospitals, where thousands of patients have been deprived of medical care for the past four days.
YDA President Dr Maroof Venice says the health department has not contacted the junior doctors’ leadership since the strike started. “We will continue our strike until the government reverses its decision for implementing the Central Induction Policy (CIP) unconditionally,” he added.
Replying to a question, he agreed the patients were facing problems because of the OPDs closure, but these steps, he said, would prove to be beneficial for the overall healthcare sector in the long run.
After hectic efforts, the health department was able to partially restore the functions at OPDs at government hospitals.
The health department spokesman claimed most of the junior doctors had already refused to join the strike call given by the YDA and were on duty.
“Professors and other senior doctors are making extraordinary efforts for the smooth functioning of hospital operations,” he said. “We hope the young doctors would restore their duties, otherwise strict departmental action would be taken against them.”
He said the CIP was designed by senior professors of medicines and if junior doctors refused to accept the policy, it meant they did not accept the competency of their seniors. “They must call off their strike and come to the negotiation table,” he added.
Over 20,000 patients are affected every day due to the strike of doctors at OPDs at Lahore’s hospitals.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2016.
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