Sanaullah says strike called off, YDA denies
The provincial law minister, after having a meeting with senior doctors for two hours, said that cases against doctors will be withdrawn and all those arrested will be freed.
On the other hand, YDA Punjab office bearers said that they have not called off the strike.
“When our fellow doctors return to homes from jails, and cases against them are withdrawn, we will resume our services at Emergency Wards in hospitals. The strike at OPDs and Indoor Departments will continue till the implementation of the service structure,” Dr Aftab, an office bearer of YDA and its Lahore spokesperson, told The Express Tribune.
Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had called a meeting of principals of medical colleges and senior doctors at the CM Secretariat to discuss the situation caused by the YDA strike.
Senior officials will also attend the meeting while Medical Teachers Association (MTA) office bearers were also invited to attend the meeting. The meeting reviewed the healthcare situation across the province.
Although the Outpatient Departments (OPDs) and emergency wards were operating in the province, there has still been a deficiency of doctors.
As per the official figures, in Lahore there are 7,000 young doctors out of which just 370 were performing duties. Others were either not coming to work or had gone underground. Some 125 new doctors had taken charges of their duties while 90 doctors from the Army Medical Corps were performing duties.
Routine operations in teaching hospitals had also been cancelled and patients were being put on the waiting list.
“The makeshift arrangements are somehow running the system but this cannot last for long. The working doctors are overloaded and would exhaust if they have to work like this for several days. The government has an understanding of this situation and that’s why a meeting has been called by the chief minister to deal with this situation,” said a senior professor at a teaching hospital in Lahore.
COMMENTS (30)
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Shahbaz Sharif is well known dictator in civil clothes.They is real robbers and vagabonds. Actually Doctors work hard but due to no infrastructure many of them leave country. It is farcical. if you give them what they deserve ,strike never occur. I appreciate they should not do strike but no one listen. I myself worked in 2000 free of cost for many months & then left the country because helping humanity for nothing doesn’t fill your pocket or stomach. The way Shahbaz Sharif is behaving now is their actual picture. I hope & pray Allah help us get rid of these bad leaders. it can only happen if people become determined that they want to get rid of these people. Doctors are the highly educated peoples of Pakistan, they are the cream of nation, but the attitude shown by Punjab Govt towards doctor’s community is brutal and barbaric, we all condemn it. We must respect our educated people or otherwise in next few years we will not find any educated person in Pakistan especially doctors. Doctor’s demands are just right; Punjab Govt can fulfill it but cm just for his ego playing with people of Punjab shame on Govt for this act, another black day in Pakistan history shame cm khadim-e-ala, and wake up until its too late.
The Chief Minister Punjab needs to understand that not every issue can be dealt with in his usual aggressive, authoritarian manner. The doctors are people protesting because they have grievances, because they were promised proper treatment and have been let down. They are professionals who should be respected, not treated as though they were criminals who must be crushed. The chief minister would do well to remember that the democracy he so loudly champions allows for protest and public dissent. To crack down so aggressively on one of the respected services of the state is going to do no one any good, least of all the Punjab government itself.
At least we know which side is a habitual liar.
Dear all....I am a doctor graduated from King Edward medical University in 2009 , did my house job from Mayo Hosp.At that time i used to have 18600 salaryper month. I have topped through out but when i saw that even the simple MBA,CA is gettin more starting salary then wat I am getting ,I simply left country .I am in Uk working as a doctor in NHS and getting more than £ 3000 pounds a month , public here gives u respect,understands u and gives u wat u deserve. My only request to all of is plz plz plz respect this profession, Pakistani Drs are the best in world , if public/govt is nt going to support and respect drs then i am afraid nobody is going to stay and serve nation. Hopefully a day will come when my Pakistan will be changed , eduacted ppl will be treated well and at that time i will come to serve my country . Tc Allah hafiz
These doctors should be horse- whipped in public . They worship nothing but money !
well if YDA insist on strike then Government should simply fire them all, don't agree with arresting them just cancel their licences and fire them.
the truth.... It is the clear and firm discion that untill our detained leadership is released from jail and brough to their place of postings(hospitals) and handed over to us safely,the strike ll continue. It is further cleared that only emergency services ll be resumed on the release of leadership in the intrest of public. Complete strike ll be called off after the fulfillment of our genuine demand:SERVICE STRUCTURE. Dr.Hamid But Presiden YDAP Dr.Usman Khalid General Secretary YDAP.
ATT ALL DOCTORS POLICY STATEMENT OF YDAP Until all doctors return to Lahore and their status verified, plus WITHDRAWAL of all JALI cases, till then STRIKE CONTINUES. ONLY AND ONLY EMERGENCIES WILL BE OPENED WHEN THE ABOVE CONDITIONS ARE MET ALL OTHER MEDIA REPORTS ARE FALSE
More lies from the Propaganda Minister of PML-N. A party, whose origins are based on deceit and fraud, what else you expect; whose leaders kept on lying for 10 years to the Pakistanis. The latest YDA statement contradicts Rana Sanaullah's statement.
false... plz media is requested to take the opinion of young doctors... STRIKE IS ON.. NEVER CALLED OFF UNCONDITIONALLY...
How is a better structure going to make the doctor's job more humane? Why dont they ask for lesser work hours? The answer is sadly greed. Its not Mr. Shahbaz Shareef who would pay their salary from his pocket, it is the taxes of the poor people who subsidized these Young Blackmailers education, they never complained then!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jun/21/doctors-strike-pensions-hospitals-gp-surgeries
Doctors' strike over pensions hits hospitals and GP surgeries Doctors taking part in the dispute will still deal with emergency and urgent cases, but will not undertake routine duties
I want to write about doctors strike.doctors are very well educated people.majority want to work for their people but because there is no infrastructure you feel lost after graduation.thats why many leave country.give them what they deserve they will never do strike.they want to serve humanity but they need something for their pocket and stomach as well. shabaz sharif should not behave like a vagabond but this is what he really is.the way he handled this issue reflecs this mentality.I think all doctors should remain united in this difficult time and I will encourage other communities like teachers nurses paramedics to join them .because our leaders are real robbers who are looting this country .I will appeal kyani to call back army doctors ,they should not be in civil hospitals they should go back to barracks please.we have seen army in civil places to the extent that people no more like them.
I appreciate that doctors should not strike but in pakistan no one listen
I appeal media as well to raise facts please
Strike and leaving patient to die is not a reasonable gesture by a lerned professin, they should talk to the government and give them a draft for their service structure , going on strike and denying treatment for poor patient makes them apathy for the society.
Doctors are the highly educated peopels of pakistan,they are the cream of nation,but the attitude shown by punjab govt towords doctors community is brutal and barbaric,we all condem it. We must respect our educated people or otherwise in next few years we will not find any educated person in pakistan especialy doctors.doctors demandes are just right,punjab govt can fulfil it but cm just for his ego playing with peopel of punjab shame on govt for this act,another black day in pakistan history shame cm khadim e alla,wake up until its too late.
@Eeman...Less working hours suits us more but drs are not in excess..There is 1 dr appointed for 1500 patients in hospital..If u make the working hours less,who will come to fill the gap??this is what service structure is all about...Have some facts before commenting
Funny to see that doctors are whining about working for 150-hours a week, but asking for more salaries instead of asking for less number of working hours. How exactly will more salary make them less-fatigued during general operations? Perhaps, then they will start leaving scissors in patients' bellies.
Doctors are the most educated people in the community. We must ponder over it that what happened that made our doctors go on strike? Their demands for service structure are right and should be accepted. We must respect our educated people or otherwise in next few years we will not find any educated person in pakistan.
CM Shehbaz Sharif should realize that doctor’s profession is not the same as clerical and administrative staff including section officers and DMGs. Doctors should not be under BPS system and same goes for engineers, scientists, teachers/professors. All should have different service structure. Why our governing elite is reluctant to change the status quo?