YDA threatens protest after repeated incidents of assaults on doctors

Doctors get tortured by patients’ families for negligence, no action taken to resolve situation

RAWALPINDI: Young doctors once again threatened to come on to the roads against the government for not fulfilling their demands.

There have been various incidents of doctors getting tortured by family members of patients in Holy Family Hospital (HFH), alleging that the doctors were negligent in their handling of said patients. Instead of torturing the doctors or registering cases against them, the family members should approach the doctors’ forum to file complaints regarding the negligence. These views were expressed by young doctors while addressing the press conference in Holy Family Hospital. All doctors participated with the white bandages on their heads in the press conference.

Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab Chairman Dr Shoaib Tarar said that there were four incidents doctors of getting tortured in the previous week in the biggest government hospital of the city, Holy Family Hospital. Instead of arresting the suspects, cases were registered against the doctors.

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He added that the young doctors are demanding departmental proceedings against the police constable and arrest of the people involved in the incidents. He further said that no one is allowed to take the law in into their own hands. If someone does have a complaint regarding a doctor’s negligence they should address the concerned forum, as opposed to resorting to assault and torture.  The YDA chairman said it is the government’s responsibility to provide security to the doctors, while the situation of security at hospitals is not appropriate.

Young doctors have been demanding law-making in hospitals for 10 years. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government completed the security bill and sent it to the assembly in January 2019 but due to the inefficiency of the government it has not been passed yet. If legal security is not provided to the doctors and paramedical staff, then it would severely affect medical services in the establishment.

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The YDA chairman demanded that Provincial Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid pass the security bill as soon as possible, “We will not be quiet until the implementation of security bill,” he said.

He further said that there was a murderous attack on Prof Dr Tehzeeb in March but the suspects have not been arrested yet. If justice is not provided to us then we will come on the roads and protest. There are no ventilators in the hospital and the government is not showing any seriousness in this regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2019.