Doctors decide to intensify protests in K-P

Threaten to block highways, camp outside assembly building

PESHAWAR: With their protest stretching to over a month, doctors under the banner of the Grand Health Alliance (GHA) on Sunday decided to stand their ground and further intensify their protests, including blocking all highways.

The meeting of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Grand Health Alliance (GHA) was held at the Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) in Peshawar and was attended by representatives of all GHA district bodies including Mardan, Buner, Nowshera, Charsadda, Swabi, Dargai, Buttkhela, Dir, Kohistan, Shangla, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Kohat, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, and Dera Ismail Khan.

The meeting discussed in detail the entire situation in the province. They strongly condemned the non-serious attitude of the government towards resolving their issues or of holding negotiations. The doctors blamed the government for the situation prevailing in hospitals across the province.

Following detailed consultations, the GHA unanimously decided to continue their protest unless the district health authority (DHA) and rural health authority (RHA) law is withdrawn.

Further, they decided that since the two government negotiating committees have betrayed the GHA, they will intensify their protests.

As the first step in this, doctors will start blocking all highways across the province from Tuesday with street protests. These protests will be in tandem with the protests which will be held inside the hospital.

Accusing Dr Nausherwan Burki for the emerging situation in the health sector of the province, they said that they will not allow it to cause further destruction at the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH). They also decided that whenever Dr Burki visits LRH, he will be met with a peaceful protest while the hospital will be closed.

It was also decided that the next meeting of the grand alliance will be held outside the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday, November 11. The meeting will adopt the form of a protest and will continue indefinitely.

Moreover, it will be accompanied by a boycott of indoor services at public hospitals by introducing a ‘triage system’ within hospitals within a week.

The alliance decided against retaliating to threats from hospital administration and the provincial health ministry of disciplinary action. Instead, it was decided that doctors will respond by accelerating their protests It was agreed that the protest will only end if the government agrees to their demand for withdrawing the privatization of health centres under the DHA / RHA law.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2019.