Balochistan doctors threaten red zone sit-in

YDA warns of province-wide hospital boycott if demands go unmet

QUETTA:

The Balochistan Young Doctors Association (YDA) has warned that it will stage a sit-in in front of the Red Zone if its demands are not accepted within the next 24 hours.

Addressing a press conference at Civil Hospital Quetta alongside other leaders, Dr Hai Baloch, President of YDA, said the protest camp set up in solidarity with Dr Mah Noor has now completed 22 days, but the provincial government has yet to take any practical steps towards fulfilling their demands.

"If our demands violate the Constitution or law, the government should clearly point it out," Dr Hai Baloch said. He added that all doctors, under the platform of the Grand Doctors Alliance, have adopted a joint strategy and will continue their peaceful struggle until the demands are met.

The YDA's primary demand is the removal of the Secretary of Health and the Medical Superintendent (MS) of Civil Hospital Quetta. Instead of acting on the demands, the government has appointed a junior officer to a senior position in the hospital and failed to take effective action in cases of alleged corruption, Baloch alleged.

He also claimed that a police official recently attacked a doctor at the Trauma Center while allegedly under the influence of drugs, but no effective legal action has been taken against those responsible.

He announced that if the government does not accept their demands, doctors will hold a protest sit-in in front of the Red Zone at 12pm on Monday. He stressed that the protest would remain completely peaceful, though its scope could be expanded if the demands continue to be ignored.

Dr Bahar Shah, another leader, strongly condemned the entry of armed individuals into hospitals, saying it was unacceptable under any circumstances. He accused the government of complicating the issues rather than resolving them and demanded immediate legal action against those involved in the Trauma Center incident.

Questioning the government's narrative, Dr Bahar Shah asked whether doctors were involved in the acid attack incident at Civil Hospital.