Senior doctor given protection after ‘death threats from YDA’

YDA denies harassment, but demands that the doctor be transferred.

GUJRANWALA:

A senior medical officer whom the Young Doctors Association wants to be transferred from Civil Hospital Gujranwala was on Friday given police protection to continue performing duties at the hospital.

The protection has come following Dr Asif Javed’s application to the Gujranwala regional police officer, Muhammad Amin Vance, claiming that he was receiving threatening calls and text messages allegedly from members of the YDA.

The YDA local president, Dr Kashif Bilal, denied that any member of his association had made such calls or sent text messages to Dr Javed.

He, however, endorsed the demand on banners displayed at the hospital that Dr Javed be transferred from the hospital.

The banners, attributed to the YDA Gujranwala region, gave the administration till August 6 (tomorrow) to transfer the senior medical officer. The banners were removed on a directive by District Coordination Officer Chaudhry Muhammad Amin on Friday.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Dr Bilal, had warned that the YDA Gujranwala region would start a protest from Monday (tomorrow) if Dr Javed was not transferred from the Civil Hospital. He said the YDA members would wear black armbands to work and stage demonstrations against the senior medical officer for his alleged misbehaviour with junior doctors.

The YDA president also demanded transfer of Dr Arshad Chahl, a medical officer, Civil Hospital to Naushera Virkan tehsil headquarters (THQ) hospital be stopped.

He said the transfer was ordered without any inquiry into the complaints against him by Dr Asif Javed, his supervisor at Civil Hospital. “There was no warning issued to him (Dr Chahl) before transferring him from Civil Hospital,” he said.

Dr Chahl, who was present at the press conference, has not joined duties at the THQ hospital. His transfer orders were briefly suspended by DCO Chaudhry Muhammad Amin on last Tuesday (July 28). However, the DCO withdrew the suspension order on Thursday (July 30).

The suspension had followed a request sent to the office of the district coordination officer signed by 80 YDA members.

The original order for Dr Chahl’s transfer to THQ hospital was issued by Executive District Officer (health) Azhar Masod Bhatti on June 26 on a complaint filed against him by Dr Javed. The latter had stated in his complaint, submitted to Medical Superintendent Dr Zafar Iqbal on June 4, that Dr Chahl was violating his instructions and insisting on working in the night shift. He said he needed Dr Chahl to work in the day shift because workload was greater in those hours.

Dr Chahl had denied that he had violated any instructions by a senior.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 5^th, 2012.