The govt strikes back: Doctors, police called in; OPDs open
YDA remains adamant, senior doctors reject the call for strike.
PMA Lahore secretary general says the matter on which the YDA had “created such a fuss” was a “petty” one that could have been resolved amicably. PHOTO: PMA
LAHORE:
The Punjab government tried to thwart the strike called by the Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab on Friday by calling in doctors from Labour department and deploying policemen at hospitals to keep the doctors from creating trouble.
The association had called for a protest on Wednesday after 12 doctors were arrested in Gujranwala for ransacking the office of the DHQ Hospital medical superintendant (MS) Dr Anwar Aman.
Outpatient Departments (OPDs) of all government hospitals across the province had remained closed on Thursday. On Friday, OPDs in major government hospitals of the city were opened to patients in the afternoon after the government deployed police. However, dozens of operations had to be postponed in various teaching hospitals of Lahore.
The Labour Department, on Friday, handed over services of 102 doctors to the Health Department so that OPDs could be opened. The Health Department has also cancelled leaves of all administrative officers in hospitals across the province. The Health Department asked doctors to resume duties or face action under the PEEDA Act. YDA Punjab refused to back down from its stance. The association’s president Dr Javed Aheer held a press conference at Services Hospital, saying that the strike would continue until the arrested doctors were released and the cases against them were withdrawn.
He was flanked by other YDA officer bearers.
Senior doctors, meanwhile, distanced themselves from the strike. The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and the General Cadre Doctors Association (GCDA) both demanded that the government take action against those who had manhandled the Gujranwala DHQ MS and vandalised his office.
The PMA Punjab called its emergency meeting in Gujranwala in which office bearers from Lahore also participated. The PMA Lahore Secretary General Dr Izhar Chaudhry told The Express Tribune that a delegation had visited the hospital and met with local doctors who believed that the young doctors had behaved unreasonably with senior doctors. Dr Chaudhry said the matter on which the YDA had “created such a fuss” was a “petty” one that could have been resolved amicably.
The PMA meeting was chaired by the association’s Punjab President Dr Ashraf Nizami.
The members passed three resolutions. The first condemned the beating up of the MS and called it a ‘shameful incident’. It also demanded strict action against those responsible. The second condemned the strike called by the YDA and appealed to the doctors to resume duties. The third resolution demanded the formation of an inquiry committee to investigate the Gujranwala incident and fix responsibility.
Separately, the General Cadre Doctors Association (GCDA), in its meeting, unanimously passed a resolution stating that the general cadre doctors will not take part in the strike and would continue to work at the OPDs.
The association’s Punjab President Dr Masood Akhtar Sheikh announced that doctors across the province would observe a black day to condemn the Gujranwala fracas. He said the doctors would work but wear black armbands.
Dr Sheikh said such incidents created a bad image of Pakistani doctors in the international community and may cause problems for Pakistani doctors who wished to seek higher education abroad. He suggested that a chapter on medical ethics be incorporated in the curricula to improve the doctors’ behavior.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2013.
The Punjab government tried to thwart the strike called by the Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab on Friday by calling in doctors from Labour department and deploying policemen at hospitals to keep the doctors from creating trouble.
The association had called for a protest on Wednesday after 12 doctors were arrested in Gujranwala for ransacking the office of the DHQ Hospital medical superintendant (MS) Dr Anwar Aman.
Outpatient Departments (OPDs) of all government hospitals across the province had remained closed on Thursday. On Friday, OPDs in major government hospitals of the city were opened to patients in the afternoon after the government deployed police. However, dozens of operations had to be postponed in various teaching hospitals of Lahore.
The Labour Department, on Friday, handed over services of 102 doctors to the Health Department so that OPDs could be opened. The Health Department has also cancelled leaves of all administrative officers in hospitals across the province. The Health Department asked doctors to resume duties or face action under the PEEDA Act. YDA Punjab refused to back down from its stance. The association’s president Dr Javed Aheer held a press conference at Services Hospital, saying that the strike would continue until the arrested doctors were released and the cases against them were withdrawn.
He was flanked by other YDA officer bearers.
Senior doctors, meanwhile, distanced themselves from the strike. The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and the General Cadre Doctors Association (GCDA) both demanded that the government take action against those who had manhandled the Gujranwala DHQ MS and vandalised his office.
The PMA Punjab called its emergency meeting in Gujranwala in which office bearers from Lahore also participated. The PMA Lahore Secretary General Dr Izhar Chaudhry told The Express Tribune that a delegation had visited the hospital and met with local doctors who believed that the young doctors had behaved unreasonably with senior doctors. Dr Chaudhry said the matter on which the YDA had “created such a fuss” was a “petty” one that could have been resolved amicably.
The PMA meeting was chaired by the association’s Punjab President Dr Ashraf Nizami.
The members passed three resolutions. The first condemned the beating up of the MS and called it a ‘shameful incident’. It also demanded strict action against those responsible. The second condemned the strike called by the YDA and appealed to the doctors to resume duties. The third resolution demanded the formation of an inquiry committee to investigate the Gujranwala incident and fix responsibility.
Separately, the General Cadre Doctors Association (GCDA), in its meeting, unanimously passed a resolution stating that the general cadre doctors will not take part in the strike and would continue to work at the OPDs.
The association’s Punjab President Dr Masood Akhtar Sheikh announced that doctors across the province would observe a black day to condemn the Gujranwala fracas. He said the doctors would work but wear black armbands.
Dr Sheikh said such incidents created a bad image of Pakistani doctors in the international community and may cause problems for Pakistani doctors who wished to seek higher education abroad. He suggested that a chapter on medical ethics be incorporated in the curricula to improve the doctors’ behavior.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2013.