Assembly session: ‘Cancel striking doctors’ licences,’ lawmakers demand
Sanaullah says hooliganism will not be tolerated.
Dr Elahi says any doctors found guilty in the trial would be tried under the Code of Criminal Procedures.
LAHORE:
The treasury and opposition benches in the Punjab Assembly (PA), on Friday, lashed out against the Young Doctors’ Association (YDA)’s conduct at a Gujranwala hospital and their province-wide strike. Lawmakers suggested that the doctors needed to see psychiatrists.
The assembly resumed its session 50 minutes late. Parliamentary Secretary on Health Dr Saeed Elahi replied to questions about the Health Department during the question hour.
The house then held a general debate on an assault by young doctors at a Gujranwala hospital.
Dr Elahi started the debate and told the house about the government’s response to the doctors’ actions.
Elahi said that some doctors along with about 15 supporters had entered the medical superintendent’s room in the Gujranwala district head quarters (DHQ) and beat up the medical superintendent. He said the three deputy medical superintendents who tried to intervene were also beaten up. The doctor said people from the media also faced the wrath of the doctors. Two FIRs have been lodged against the doctors involved, he added.
Dr Elahi said that the Health Department had terminated the ad-hoc doctors Dr Zahir, Dr Fariha Bajwa, Dr Idrees, Dr Abdullah and Dr Waqas.
The Health Department, he added, had transferred Dr Javed, Dr Hasnain and Dr Umar Rathore from the Gujranwala DHQ and ordered an inquiry.
He said that Dr Kashif Bilal, the group leader, and his fellow doctors Dr Waqar Aziz, Dr Yehya, Dr Zia and Dr Farasat Ali had been suspended from service and the Health Department had ordered an inquiry against them.
Unification Bloc leader Sheikh Alauddin demanded that the licences of the doctors should be cancelled. He said a new authority should be constituted to issue licences to doctors who meet professional criteria. Alauddin said the laws regulating government officials’ conduct were not effective.
Major (retd) Abdul Rehman said the government should prosecute the YDA leaders. The doctors, he said, had humiliated the writ of the government.
He said YDA’s strike was the cause of much alarm in the province.
He said the government should declare an emergency in the hospitals.
Nighat Nasir Sheikh demanded that the doctor’s cases be referred to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council so that it could take action against them.
Syed Hassan Murtaza said the doctors involved need to see some psychiatrist. He said the doctors should stop withdrawing salaries from the government as they no longer met the description of dedicated professionals.
Concluding the debate, Dr Saeed Elahi said any doctors found guilty in the trial would be tried under the Code of Criminal Procedures. He said that the government had recently introduced a new service structure for doctors.
He said those doctors who were being paid Rs6,000 per month in 2006 were now receiving Rs25,100. He said post graduate trainees were being paid Rs44,000 while some doctors were being paid over Rs100,000.
Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said the government would not tolerate hooliganism and would uphold the writ and supremacy of the law.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2013.
The treasury and opposition benches in the Punjab Assembly (PA), on Friday, lashed out against the Young Doctors’ Association (YDA)’s conduct at a Gujranwala hospital and their province-wide strike. Lawmakers suggested that the doctors needed to see psychiatrists.
The assembly resumed its session 50 minutes late. Parliamentary Secretary on Health Dr Saeed Elahi replied to questions about the Health Department during the question hour.
The house then held a general debate on an assault by young doctors at a Gujranwala hospital.
Dr Elahi started the debate and told the house about the government’s response to the doctors’ actions.
Elahi said that some doctors along with about 15 supporters had entered the medical superintendent’s room in the Gujranwala district head quarters (DHQ) and beat up the medical superintendent. He said the three deputy medical superintendents who tried to intervene were also beaten up. The doctor said people from the media also faced the wrath of the doctors. Two FIRs have been lodged against the doctors involved, he added.
Dr Elahi said that the Health Department had terminated the ad-hoc doctors Dr Zahir, Dr Fariha Bajwa, Dr Idrees, Dr Abdullah and Dr Waqas.
The Health Department, he added, had transferred Dr Javed, Dr Hasnain and Dr Umar Rathore from the Gujranwala DHQ and ordered an inquiry.
He said that Dr Kashif Bilal, the group leader, and his fellow doctors Dr Waqar Aziz, Dr Yehya, Dr Zia and Dr Farasat Ali had been suspended from service and the Health Department had ordered an inquiry against them.
Unification Bloc leader Sheikh Alauddin demanded that the licences of the doctors should be cancelled. He said a new authority should be constituted to issue licences to doctors who meet professional criteria. Alauddin said the laws regulating government officials’ conduct were not effective.
Major (retd) Abdul Rehman said the government should prosecute the YDA leaders. The doctors, he said, had humiliated the writ of the government.
He said YDA’s strike was the cause of much alarm in the province.
He said the government should declare an emergency in the hospitals.
Nighat Nasir Sheikh demanded that the doctor’s cases be referred to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council so that it could take action against them.
Syed Hassan Murtaza said the doctors involved need to see some psychiatrist. He said the doctors should stop withdrawing salaries from the government as they no longer met the description of dedicated professionals.
Concluding the debate, Dr Saeed Elahi said any doctors found guilty in the trial would be tried under the Code of Criminal Procedures. He said that the government had recently introduced a new service structure for doctors.
He said those doctors who were being paid Rs6,000 per month in 2006 were now receiving Rs25,100. He said post graduate trainees were being paid Rs44,000 while some doctors were being paid over Rs100,000.
Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said the government would not tolerate hooliganism and would uphold the writ and supremacy of the law.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2013.