Rallies on roads: Govt urged to resolve issues of young doctors

PTI legislator says govt should take appropriate steps for those with genuine concerns

LAHORE: The opposition benches submitted a resolution in the Punjab Assembly against the alleged misconduct of the provincial government with young doctors and demanded that the issues of the medics be resolved.

The resolution was submitted by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) legislator Nabila Hakim Ali Khan who contended the government should avoid putting the onus of its wrong policies on the shoulders of young doctors. She stressed on concrete measures to resolve their issues.

She said the government had declared the performance of doctors as dissatisfactory and this sparked the rallies of medics who had been on the road since January 1.

Khan said that it had become a trend for people to take to the streets to raise a voice. She said protesters took these measures as they believed nobody was there to hear their grievances.

The MPA urged the government should take appropriate steps for those who had genuine concerns. She said that young doctors should not be forced to take to the street as it was a bad omen.

She urged the government to resolve their problems through dialogue.

Earlier, in yet another desperate move by junior doctors of Lahore, a day and night protest was held in front of the Chief Minister’s Secretariat on Mall Road to force the health authorities to accept their demands.

A day earlier, the YDA had set up camps at Mayo Hospital and collected signatures for support from the paramedical staff, nurses and doctors.

“We are going to launch a 24/7 sit- in in front of the Chief Minister’s Secretariat,” said Dr Zafar Ullah, spokesperson for one of the YDA groups. He added the doctors would sit there until all their demands were met.

“We demand fool-proof security at government hospitals of Punjab and declare hospitals zero-tolerance zones,” he said.

“Health Secretary Najam Shah must be sacked for misusing public offices to victimise doctors, nurses and paramedical staff over personal grudges,” said Zafar.

He added that unjust decisions towards several doctors, nurses and paramedics of Mayo hospital should be taken back.

He said as a result of the enquiry committee, the public had started to believe if continued to torture nurses and paramedics, they would get quality treatment.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 31^st, 2017.