Young doctors’ strike a nightmare for patients

All activities at Civil Hospital OPD remain suspended

QUETTA: Patients coming from remote areas of Balochistan to the Civil Hospital for treatment faced immense difficulties on Saturday as the strike of the Young Doctors Association (YDA) entered its second day with doctors boycotting all activities of the outpatient department (OPD).

The YDA has been protesting for quite some time over inadequate medical services in government hospitals and for an increase in salary and allowance.



In order to pressure the provincial government into submitting to their demands, doctors even suspended medical operations in OPDs and locked the main gate for over two hours.

“I don’t know why they have been protesting, but I do know that they don’t care about the patients visiting the hospital from remote areas,” said Abdul Qadir Achakzai, who brought his father for treatment to the Civil Hospital. “Our doctors are fond of running their private clinics, instead of serving in government hospitals from where they get handsome salaries.”



He lashed out against the doctors for not paying attention to the patients and pleaded the provincial government to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

All Pakistan Paramedical Staff Association President Jamal Shah Kakar said, “We had informed the government about lack of medical facilities at the hospital in the past but they were reluctant to address the issue.”

He said, “If the government does not pay attention to our demands, then we will have no other choice but to intensify our movement.”

He said that they did not want to cause any more hardships for the patients.



The YDA has also been demanding to build a Government Cardiac Hospital and a dental college for medical students in Balochistan.

Last Monday, the YDA’s protest had caused a lot of trouble for Quetta’s citizens by blocking the Commissioner Office Chowk for over eight hours.