The outpatient departments (OPDs) of public hospitals across the province were closed on Monday as senior doctors joined their junior colleagues in a strike called by the Young Doctors Association (YDA).
This was the fourth day of the strike in Lahore, but the first in the rest of the province. Patients were left unattended in the OPDs as there wasn’t anybody to examine them.
“This has never happened before. Even the professors weren’t willing to come to OPDs,” said a senior faculty member at King Edward Medical University and a professor at Mayo Hospital who did not go to work on Monday either.
He said that professors were either backing the YDA or scared of it. “In either case, the problems for the Health Department are going to aggravate,” he said.
The professor said that the YDA had struck a popular rallying cry in its demand for reforms to the service structure for doctors employed by the government. “When they were just protesting against the transfers of doctors not many were interested, but now they are speaking about an issue relevant to everybody in the medical community,” he said.
YDA officials said that the strike had been successful across the province. “The OPDs at all public hospitals remained closed in Rawalpindi to protest against the illegal transfers [of 450 doctors] and the service structure,” YDA Rawalpindi President Dr Umar said.
Doctors held a demonstration against the Health Department and boycotted OPDs in Multan, said Dr Mazhar, the association’s Multan president.
YDA Punjab office bearers met with senior Health Department officials for talks but there was no breakthrough. “We are in contact with the Health Department now but so far we haven’t reached an agreement and there is no likelihood of calling off the strike,” said YDA Punjab spokesman Dr Nasir Bokhari. “The strike across the province has been successful and if the Health Department doesn’t accept our demands we will keep going.”
YDA Pakistan General Secretary Dr Salman Kazmi said that if the Health Department didn’t withdraw its transfer orders then the association might consider calling a nationwide strike.
A senior Health Department official said they were “hopeful” that the strike would end soon. Chief Minister’s Adviser on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique said talks with YDA office bearers would be held today to end the strike.
“We will end this strike soon,” he said.
Meanwhile in Sargodha, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that doctors should not go on strike as it could result in tragedy. He said that the Punjab government had spent billions of rupees – Rs8 billion this fiscal year on the welfare and improvement of the service structure of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 17th, 2012.
COMMENTS (14)
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About Transfer orders..Punjab Govt ordered these transfers against the rules of CPSP..A doctor who is selected as MO and also as a resident in FCPS the he cant be transferred for minimum 4 yrs untill he completes his FCPS programme. Punjab Govt didnt bother to check with CPSP before carrying out these orders..Doctors who are in third year of FCPS cardiology are being tranferred to BHUs and DHQs where they cant complete their cardiology FCPS training.. Punjab Govtis destroying Health Sector.Please take notice..We are also from this awam and dont like to go for strike if things are done with Justice
This is badmashi by medical doctors.
For all my brothers and sisters..All the dcotors are demanding is a service structure that Punjab Govt had promised to Doctors last year..For 1 yr doctors have waited and even now only OPD are closed with all drs dealing patients in indoors and emergency...whts happening is that FCPS specialists doctors are leaving our govt hospitals because of no service structure and either go abroador join Pvt medical colleges which gives attractive packages.This is leading to severe crisis as PG doctors and MBBS students are not geeting a quality faculty and their traning is getting affected too..After MBBS it takes an average 6 to 7 yrs of hard work to get FCPS degree and because of no service structure these doctors are getting only 40K a month without any allowances... If Punjab govt can allocate 12 billion for laptop ,cant they spend 1.6 billion rupees only and service structure of all doctors of Punjab can be put in place. Federal Govt has already given a new service structure to its doctors..Punjab can give it too..
Punjab govt is responsible for all this stuff
@Nobody and Iram. No matter that Punjab gov. give you facilities, Gov. doctors will give always bad services to the patient
@One who Know: There is no excuse to these Strikes. Seek the legal way. Do not put humanity in distress.
These are not doctors , they are butchers disguised as doctors, they dont have ethics that a noble profession like a medical doctor demands.
@Iram and Nobody,
Do you think cardiac arrest is the only problem patients can have? Are OPDs made for fun? What if your family member gets a severe temperature (God forbid) and there is no one to attend? Please keep your political hatred aside for some time.
I ask the same question: Where is humanity? Are these demands higher than human values?
whenever i occasionaly read the paper.. I m must to find doctors on strike...or on protest.. blaaa blaa... Why don't you all doctors commit a mass suicide once.. & thn u may get government attention thn?
A very good example of GOOD Goverence in Punjab led by Khadim E Ala the health minister, where Doctors going on strike every month and Khadim E Ala flying off to London to have his medical check up.
Let it be know to all their exist NO SERVICE STRUCTURE in the noble Medical profession it is all at the whims of KHADIM E Ala this from para medical staff to nurses to young doctors to teaching staff are going on strike
@Nobody.......being under oath their refusal to attend to their services is an outright negation of their ethical and moral responsibility. whatever their concerns and reservations are with the government, they just cannot have the liberty to be casual with their profession. nothing- nothing can justify their strike.
@Blithe: Why every now and then the Punjab government indulge in dirty politics? it is not doctors community but the Punjab government who is responsible for this situation.
@blithe... nobody goes to the opd with cardiac arrest... only opds are closed... and where is ur humanity in not protesting against inhumanity against the doctors?
Where is the humanity???
These ductors have betrayed the Hippocratic Oath they took. They don't have any humanity. What if someone was to come to hospital right now with cardiac arrest???
So much for the noble profession!