End of strike?: Young doctors limit work to emergencies

Govt says things are returning to ‘normal’; YDA disagrees.

LAHORE:

The Young Doctors Association (YDA) did not call off its strike on Thursday despite a statement to the contrary made by Law Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday night.

Sanaullah had said that doctors would resume duties – in the emergency wards, indoor and out-patient departments at all hospitals.

The doctors who resumed their duties at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) Lahore, PIC Faisalabad and PIC Multan, however, limited their services to the Emergency Wards only. And while Indoor and Out Patient Departments in most of the hospitals opened on Thursday, the number of doctors available there was low.

Dr Mudassir Razzaq Khan, a YDA general council member, told The Express Tribune that the doctors had resumed duties in “Emergency Wards of some hospitals”. Dr Khan said the strike would continue until their demand for a new service structure was accepted by the Punjab government. He also demanded that the government withdraw all cases registered against doctors.

Speaking at a press conference at PIC Lahore, Dr Zeeshan, another YDA member, said that the release of YDA members working at the PIC was “not enough”. “All doctors detained by the Punjab government should be set free immediately,” he said. A Health Department spokesperson, however, said things were returning to “normal” after the 18-day crisis. He urged all doctors to return to hospitals and resume their duties.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2012.