LAHORE:
The Lahore High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the Young Doctors’ Association (YDA) and the Punjab government for May 31 on a petition seeking directions for action against the doctors who have announced another strike in hospitals starting from May 11 (the strike has now been postponed as the YDA Punjab has given the Punjab government till May 16 to meet its demands). The earlier strike for 37 days allegedly caused several deaths.
Chief Justice (CJ) Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry also issued notices to the respondents on an application for a restraining order against the strike.
The CJ observed that the Punjab government had announced a pay package for doctors and there was no reason for a strike now. If any doctor went on strike, then action against them would be considered, he added.
The petition was filed by Muhammad & Ahmad, a public interest litigation firm. The petition named 25 respondents including Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), the Pakistan Medical Association, the YDA and the Inspector General of the Punjab Police.
The petitioner submitted the court that doctors had violated the PMDC rules and code of ethics by observing a 37-day strike. He claimed that as a result of the strike 200 patients had lost their lives but no action was taken against doctors which encouraged them to call for yet another strike.
The petitioner’s lawyer said that the CJ, on April 8, 2010, had ordered the Punjab government to hold an inquiry into the doctors’ 37-day strike and the loss of life during it. The CJ had directed that those responsible for the deaths must be identified and punished, he added.
He said that doctors had again announced a strike, without waiting for the inquiry commission’s report.
He said that the move was in violation of court orders and would jeopardise more innocent lives. Therefore, it should be declared illegal and unconstitutional, he said. The counsel prayed the court that the PMDC be directed to take action against doctors who were involved in the 37-day strike and had again called for a strike.
He also prayed that directions be issued to the police to register criminal cases against all those involved in any exercise of threatening innocent lives. He further pleaded that directions be issued to the Punjab government for implementation of the Punjab Health Care Commission Act 2010, in letter and spirit.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 11th, 2011.
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