Healthcare crisis: Punjab medics call off strike – partially

YDA doctors resume duties at emergency wards, decide to continue strike at OPDs and indoor departments.

LAHORE:

The Young Doctors’ Association (YDA) partially called off their over two-week long strike late Friday in compliance with a court order.

Earlier in the day, the Lahore High Court (LHC) gave the medics until 9am today (Saturday) to end their strike and resume duties in the emergency wards of all state-run hospitals of the province.

“We have decided to immediately rejoin our duties at emergency wards. If we save just one life during the whole night, we will consider it our success,” YDA Punjab spokesperson Dr Nasir Bokhari told a media briefing.

He, however, added that their strike at OPDs and indoor departments would continue. “We are thankful to the LHC for listening to our grievances,” he said.

Apart from asking medics to call off their strike, the LHC also restrained the Punjab government from harassing and arresting doctors from the YDA.

“This court expects doctors to show bona fide and goodwill by calling off their strike immediately and resuming work at emergencies at 9am, Saturday,” says an order read out by Justice Ijazul Ahsan.

“Likewise … no unlawful hindrance or restriction would be caused in the resumption of work by doctors. In addition, the Punjab government shall not cause undue harassment or conduct raids at the residences of the doctors.”

The ruling was given on a petition filed by the Judicial Activism Panel. The petitioner had sought cancellation of licences of protesting doctors, scrutiny of their medical degrees and strict disciplinary action against them.

The court also summoned YDA leaders, including its President Hamid Butt, today and asked Additional Advocate General Faisal Zaman Khan to submit the investigation record of a case registered against medics over the death of an infant during the strike at the Mayo Hospital.

The investigation officer of the case has also been summoned.

The court asked the YDA to submit its viewpoint and reply to the petition by July 9. The Pakistan Medical & Dental Council will furnish its reply in a week’s time.

On Friday, no YDA representative was present in the courtroom and their attorney said his clients were unable to show up fearing arrests. The court then directed the Punjab government to allow doctors free access to the court. The hearing was adjourned till 2pm.

After the recess, YDA General Secretary Nasir Abbas appeared before the court and claimed that the provincial government was harassing medics as police were conducting raids on their residences.

There is no service structure for the doctors who were compelled to go on strike as the government was not willing to heed their grievances, according to Abbas.

Health Secretary Arif Nadeem told the court that police had detained 32 doctors – but all of them have been released since.

To a court query, he said the government had no objection if the doctors rejoined their duties at the emergency wards. He, however, pointed out that the government has started hiring new medics.

The court observed that all stakeholders sit together to find a viable solution to the problem. It said that the issue was mishandled, which worsened the situation in hospitals.

(Read: Doctors’ strike - other side of the picture)

Published in The Express Tribune, July 7^th, 2012.