YDA protest: Hospital wards closed as doctors go on strike

Health Dept sacks two, suspends six and issues notices to five doctors.

LAHORE:

The outpatient departments at the city’s major public hospitals were closed as the Young Doctors Association (YDA) observed a strike on Thursday, while the Health Department initiated action against doctors involved in violence at the Gujranawala District Headquarters Hospital a day earlier.

Hundreds of patients were turned away from Mayo Hospital, Services Hospital, Ganga Ram Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, Mian Munshi Hospital, Nawaz Sharif Hospital and General Hospital. Representatives of the YDA were stationed at the entrances to the OPDs on Thursday morning to stop any doctors going to work.

The YDA announced the strike on Wednesday following the arrest of 12 doctors in Gujranwala who had roughed up Dr Anwar Aman, the medical superintendent of the DHQ Hospital, and ransacked his office. The doctors had also manhandled reporters and cameramen covering the incident.



The Health Department on Thursday terminated the services of two doctors, suspended six and issues show cause notices to five over the violence in Gujranwala. A department spokesman said that the action had been taken after a preliminary investigation.

Dr Zohaib and Dr Abdullah have been removed from service; YDA Gujranwala President Dr Kashif Bilal, Dr Farasat Ali, Dr Kashif Bashir, Dr Fareeha Bajwa, Dr Muhammad Tahir and Dr Waqar Idrees have been suspended; and Dr Fareeha Kashif, Dr Umar Rathore, Dr Yahya Zia, Dr Hasnain and Dr Waqar Azeem have been issued show cause notices.



YDA officials said that a delegation led by its Punjab chapter president had gone to the Gujranwala DHQ on Wednesday to discuss its members’ concerns with the medical superintendent, but were attacked once they got there, resulting in injuries to several doctors. They blamed Health Secretary Arif Nadeem for this and have vowed to continue their strike until action is taken against him. They have also demanded that the 12 arrested doctors be released and charges against them be dropped.

Special Health Secretary Babar Hayat Tarar visited the Gujranwala DHQ on Thursday and pledged that legal action would be taken against the YDA members involved in the violence.



He said that the Health Department had now been brought under the Compulsory Services Act and the Civil Servants Act, which prevented employees of the department from going on strike or forming a trade union. He said that doctors who violated these laws would be subject to disciplinary action.

He said many hospitals had remained open despite the YDA’s strike call.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2013.