Young doctors to rally in Rawalpindi today
Protest expected on Murree Road outside BBH
Protest expected on Murree Road outside BBH. PHOTO: EXPRESS
RAWALPINDI:
Young doctors of Rawalpindi have announced that they will stage a rally on Thursday outside the Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) to protest the lack of necessary health services and the harassment of young female doctors.
In a statement, Young Doctors Association (YDA) Rawalpindi chapter President Dr Rana Azeem stated that the doctors would mainly protest against the absence of burns centres in Bahawalpur’s hospitals and the harassment of female doctors in Sahiwal.
Further, he said that the doctors would also raise their voice for some of their long-standing demands.
The decision to stage a rally on the Murree Road in Rawalpindi was taken in light of a similar decision taken by the provincial body of YDA in Lahore on Wednesday.
Talking to The Express Tribune, YDA Punjab President Dr Haider Akhtar lamented the absence of burns units in public hospitals of Bahawalpur. Over 200 people had died Ahmedpur Sharqia when fuel contained in an overturned oil tanker ignited explosively.
He added that burns patients had to be rushed to hospitals located scores of kilometres away. The Nishtar Hospital in Multan received 66 patients of which 51 died.
“As many as 14 patients are still under treatment at the hospital and 10 of them are described to be in critical condition,” Dr Akhtar said. He said that the YDA was asking the government to establish burns units in every district headquarters hospital (DHQ).
Dr Akhtar said that the second major issue for which they were protesting was the harassment of women doctors at the Sahiwal DHQ.
He said that the area assistant commissioner and a deputy medical superintendent of the hospital had tried to force women doctors to attend the inaugural function of the coal power project with the administration hoping ‘good-looking female doctors’ receive dignitaries at the inaugural ceremony.
The YDA Punjab president further said that after his organisation staged a protest, the government suspended the two officials, but stopped short of taking any disciplinary action against them.
“The young doctors will also protest against increasing insecurity for doctors at public hospitals, delay in appointments of doctors selected through the Punjab Public Service Commission in 2013, delay in regularisation of medical officers appointed on ad hoc contracts, continuous victimisation of young doctors for raising voice over missing health facilities, violation of merit in recent inductions through central induction policy, and delay in implementation of service structure plan,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 13th, 2017.
Young doctors of Rawalpindi have announced that they will stage a rally on Thursday outside the Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) to protest the lack of necessary health services and the harassment of young female doctors.
In a statement, Young Doctors Association (YDA) Rawalpindi chapter President Dr Rana Azeem stated that the doctors would mainly protest against the absence of burns centres in Bahawalpur’s hospitals and the harassment of female doctors in Sahiwal.
Further, he said that the doctors would also raise their voice for some of their long-standing demands.
The decision to stage a rally on the Murree Road in Rawalpindi was taken in light of a similar decision taken by the provincial body of YDA in Lahore on Wednesday.
Talking to The Express Tribune, YDA Punjab President Dr Haider Akhtar lamented the absence of burns units in public hospitals of Bahawalpur. Over 200 people had died Ahmedpur Sharqia when fuel contained in an overturned oil tanker ignited explosively.
He added that burns patients had to be rushed to hospitals located scores of kilometres away. The Nishtar Hospital in Multan received 66 patients of which 51 died.
“As many as 14 patients are still under treatment at the hospital and 10 of them are described to be in critical condition,” Dr Akhtar said. He said that the YDA was asking the government to establish burns units in every district headquarters hospital (DHQ).
Dr Akhtar said that the second major issue for which they were protesting was the harassment of women doctors at the Sahiwal DHQ.
He said that the area assistant commissioner and a deputy medical superintendent of the hospital had tried to force women doctors to attend the inaugural function of the coal power project with the administration hoping ‘good-looking female doctors’ receive dignitaries at the inaugural ceremony.
The YDA Punjab president further said that after his organisation staged a protest, the government suspended the two officials, but stopped short of taking any disciplinary action against them.
“The young doctors will also protest against increasing insecurity for doctors at public hospitals, delay in appointments of doctors selected through the Punjab Public Service Commission in 2013, delay in regularisation of medical officers appointed on ad hoc contracts, continuous victimisation of young doctors for raising voice over missing health facilities, violation of merit in recent inductions through central induction policy, and delay in implementation of service structure plan,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 13th, 2017.