Doctors strike: Waiting for positive response from govt

Protests by the YDA of Rawalpindi and Islamabad continue.

ISLAMABAD:

Protests by the Young Doctors Association (YDA) of Rawalpindi and Islamabad continue,as the Centre and the Punjab governments seem unmoved.

Nurses and paramedic staff of public sector hospitals have also joined the protesting doctors in Islamabad.

In contrast to their comrades in Rawalpindi, the doctors in Islamabad are opposed to politicising their issue, The Express Tribune has learnt.

“Instead of demoralising us, the government’s cold response towards our protest is driving us to fight harder for our rights,” YDA Rawalpindi chapter President Dr Muhammad Haroon said.

They said the indifference of the Punjab and the federal governments towards their demands belies their hollow promises of providing empowerment to educated youth.

Dr Haroon expressed his concern over the government’s initiative of issuing termination and warning letters to some doctors and described it unjust. The government has issued notices to doctors dubbing it an
‘illegal act’.

Currently all Out-Patient Departments (OPDs), Inpatient departments and Operation Theatre are non-functional in three main hospitals of Rawalpindi.

Dr Haroon said they had closed down all OPD services, they were previously providing in camps, outside three hospitals in Rawalpindi.

Meanwhile, in Islamabad the doctors are observing one-hour token strike daily. Nurses are still waiting to be regularised, Dr Ajmal said.

“The service structure implemented by the government for the paramedics does not include staff of grade 1 to 4,” he added.

“If by Monday our demands were not fulfilled by the government, we will close down all the OPDs in Polyclinic hospital and organise a rally from Polyclinic hospital to National Press Club to register our protest,” said Ajmal.

He added that the doctors would carry out OPDs at Argentina Park outside Polyclinic.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2011.