Health issues: YDA’s strikes fall out of favour with PDA

Younger doctors accused of holding unnecessary protests.

PESHAWAR:

The continuing strike of the Young Doctors Association’s (YDA) provincial chapter for the acceptance of their demands has widened its existing split with the Provincial Doctors Association (PDA).

YDA initially started its partial strike for two hours in various teaching hospitals of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to pressurise the provincial health department for a better service structure and to provide security to the medical fraternity. The association followed suit after doctors in Punjab voiced the same concerns.

However, PDA disowned the younger doctors and accused them of creating hindrances in the treatment of poor patients and disturbing the peaceful environment of hospitals for a cause that is not receiving any attention from the government.

Provincial spokesperson of the PDA, Dr Amir Taj, said “they had nothing to do with the YDA” because the government had accepted many of their demands. He added that YDA was still trying to convince its colleagues from PDA to take part in the strikes.

“If the health department has already issued the notification of preparing a service structure under which they will be promoted via a four-tier formula, there is no need to hold strikes and create security problems in hospitals,” said Taj.

He added that the PDA was the only association which had rendered personal sacrifices for the acceptance of their demands, and the on-going strikes of junior doctors is tainting the reputation of the association.



YDA had earlier started its daily two-hour strike at Mardan Medical Complex, and on Wednesday held a peaceful march in Khyber Teaching Hospital.

“All the doctors in the province demand specific procedures under which they can be promoted and transferred.  We have started a struggle which neither disturbs the healthcare system nor violates any law, but some senior doctors blame us for having a political agenda,” said YDA’s provincial spokesperson Dr Haider Shah.

He added they had repeatedly approached the provincial government to introduce a proper service structure, but the bureaucracy was not taking any steps to secure their jobs, leaving them with no other option but to go on strike.

“How can we agree to a system whereby one doctor retires at the same grade he was appointed, while another doctor is promoted because of political affiliations or kickbacks?” questioned Dr Shah.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2012.