The Punjab government sought to portray a return to normalcy as it took media teams on tours of the big city hospitals where replacement doctors have been hired, on Wednesday. But beneath the surface, it was clear that the patients were not satisfied and the replacement doctors had not settled into their jobs just yet.
At Services Hospital, MPA Asad Ashraf of the PML-Nawaz visited patients in the company of television cameras. He told reporters that the government would not negotiate directly with the striking doctors and that a solution would be found through senior doctors.
He said the replacement doctors had been appointed on an adhoc basis and Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) regulations complied with. He said sacking Health Secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad would not solve the problem.
The Health Department also released a list of figures showing the turnover at the emergency wards and outpatient departments at Mayo Hospital, Services Hospital and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. It said the figures showed that the situation was “normalising”.
Prior to his arrival, a young man who had brought his 45 year-old mother to the hospital suffering from an asthma attack complained to The Express Tribune about her treatment. He said that they had been made to sit and wait on another patient’s bed for 45 minutes, during which time she had only had her sugar checked.
No oxygen or blood test was taken, the son said. When the television cameras arrived, a doctor suddenly rushed to the patient to see how she could be helped.
At Mayo Hospital, new doctors said that they were not being physically harassed but were nervous of the potential threat. Dr Ashiq Bhatti, who had been referred to Mayo Hospital through the executive district officer for health, said his only experience had been in the outpatient wards at district headquarters hospitals. “We had three doctors on duty in the emergency ward but I am the only one left as two doctors had to change service for the polio campaign,” Dr Bhatti said. “This is a new experience. I have never worked in the emergency ward before.”
At Ganga Ram Hospital, most medical staff on duty were paramedics and nurses and patients complained about long waits and lack of service.
Medical Teachers’ Association
The Medical Teachers’ Association on Wednesday said it was withdrawing from a role as mediator between the government and the YDA Punjab as it had not made any progress, but warned the government that the replacement doctors it had hired were not sufficiently experienced.
MTA general secretary Dr Amjad Ali said at Mayo Hospital that the association had made the decision at a general meeting in the morning after three days of failed mediation between the government and YDA Punjab.
He said both sides were being rigid, but put the onus on the government.
“The government has to resolve the situation. They must realise that the YDA doctors are trained people. They must keep their jobs,” Dr Ali said.
He said that teachers would continue working in the emergency wards, but the new doctors were “unqualified and inexperienced” and a “recipe for disaster in the long run”.
On Wednesday afternoon, Lahore Medical and Dental College students protested in front of the Press Club in support of the YDA Punjab.
YDA Punjab official Dr Aftab Ashraf said that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, the inspector general of Punjab Police and the home secretary were having a meeting, which showed that they were not willing to discuss the doctors’ demands.
He said that if the Punjab government decided to use force to quell the protests and strike, “bring them on we will see what happens”.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 7th, 2011.
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