White coats return: After Eid break, young doctors protest again

Service structure, withdrawal of cases demanded: strikes to follow.

RAWALPINDI:

Doctors at three public hospitals in Rawalpindi are back on the roads again. After a break of a few weeks, they resumed their protest against the delay in provision of a fresh service structure by the Punjab government on Saturday.

As many as 150 doctors under the Young Doctors Association (YDA) umbrella gathered at the Benazir Bhutto Hospital and chanted slogans against the Punjab health secretary for creating hurdles in the path of the provision of the service structure .

Dr Muhammad Haroon, the YDA-Punjab chairman, said the protesting doctors want immediate introduction of the new service structure, withdrawal of murder cases against four doctors in Lahore, and police action against a few men who attacked doctors at Kahuta Tehsil Headquarters Hospital last night.

Dr Haroon said the rural wing of YDA-Punjab condemned the thrashing of Dr Roohullah, a medical officer who was beaten for refusing to prepare a fake medical report.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Dr Umer Saeed, president of the YDA Rawalpindi chapter, said they had resumed protests because the meeting between the YDA and health secretary just before Eidul Azha remained unfruitful.

“The bureaucracy seems to be the biggest hurdle in the provision of a service structure, which is a basic right of young doctors who want to get promotions and excel in their profession,” he said.

Dr Umer said the meeting lasted for only a few minutes after the secretary said it would be financially difficult for the Punjab government to meet all of the YDA’s demands. He said they would observe weekly protests against the provincial health officials and might go on strike at a later time.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2012.