Doctors’ protests: Don’t desert your posts, court tells YDA
Govt to submit report on service structure negotiations at next hearing.
LAHORE:
The Lahore High Court on Wednesday again ordered the Young Doctors Association (YDA) not to go on strike or boycott their work, repeating directions already issued by the LHC and the Supreme Court.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan issued the order while hearing a contempt of court petition against YDA office bearers. The court also directed the provincial government to submit a report on the doctors’ demands for changes to their service structure that it had accepted, at the next hearing on November 20.
Petitioner’s counsel Azhar Siddique submitted that the court had restrained the YDA from going on strike. But on six occasions since the court passed these orders, they had deserted their posts in order to stage rallies.
He said that the patients at public hospitals were suffering due to the doctors’ absence. He asked the court to start contempt proceedings against the doctors. Additional Advocate General Faisal Zaman told the court that the government, in talks with doctors’ groups to develop a new service structure, had accepted all the doctors’ demands except for a promotion for all doctors and for their recruitment in grade 18.
He said that the YDA kept producing new demands at each meeting, which showed that they were not serious about reaching an amicable solution.
At this, the judge said that he was satisfied with the steps taken by the provincial government.
He said that the talks appeared to be headed in the right direction. He said doctors should sympathise with their patients.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 18th, 2012.
The Lahore High Court on Wednesday again ordered the Young Doctors Association (YDA) not to go on strike or boycott their work, repeating directions already issued by the LHC and the Supreme Court.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan issued the order while hearing a contempt of court petition against YDA office bearers. The court also directed the provincial government to submit a report on the doctors’ demands for changes to their service structure that it had accepted, at the next hearing on November 20.
Petitioner’s counsel Azhar Siddique submitted that the court had restrained the YDA from going on strike. But on six occasions since the court passed these orders, they had deserted their posts in order to stage rallies.
He said that the patients at public hospitals were suffering due to the doctors’ absence. He asked the court to start contempt proceedings against the doctors. Additional Advocate General Faisal Zaman told the court that the government, in talks with doctors’ groups to develop a new service structure, had accepted all the doctors’ demands except for a promotion for all doctors and for their recruitment in grade 18.
He said that the YDA kept producing new demands at each meeting, which showed that they were not serious about reaching an amicable solution.
At this, the judge said that he was satisfied with the steps taken by the provincial government.
He said that the talks appeared to be headed in the right direction. He said doctors should sympathise with their patients.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 18th, 2012.