The protesting doctors took an oath to quit eating and drink but water until their demands were met. PHOTO: NNI
As many as 100 Young Doctors’ Association (YDA) Punjab members sat at a hunger strike camp in front of Services Hospital on Monday.
The protesting doctors took an oath to quit eating and drink but water until their demands were met.
“The decision was taken in the YDA General Council meeting. We are fighting for the rights of patients and doctors. We will not budge an inch from our position until our demands are met. The number of young doctors at the hunger camp will keep increasing with every passing day,” said YDA spokesman Dr Nasir Bokhari.
YDA Patron-in-chief Dr Hamid Butt said, “Young doctors are united and they are fighting for the rights of patients and the fellows. We protested for 18 days by examining patients in tents outside OPDs but nobody listened to us. We are now forced to go on a hunger strike.”
Dr Amir Bandesha said, “We have taken an oath that none of us will leave this place until we faint. Those who pass out, may be taken to emergency but nobody will leave walking. Different vicious cycles start in a body after 36 to 48 hours of not eating. If a young doctor dies or his condition deteriorates an FIR will be lodged against the chief minister.”
YDA office bearers demanded provision of free medicines (oral, intravenous, enteral, pareneteral), free laboratory investigations, free bedding, free operation procedures for all patients. They said out-of-order machinery in hospitals including CT scan machines, MRIs, fluoroscopy, X-ray, laboratory machines, operation theatre machines, anaesthesia machines, cardiac monitors, ventilators and angiography machines should be repaired.
They also demanded implementation of the new service structure. Another demand is that the seven Gujranwala doctors who have been jailed be treated fairly.
They demanded that all transfers and terminations of doctors since the Gujranwala assault be reversed.
“The Health Department is victimising young doctors. In Gujranwala, the medical superintendent was not beaten up, he was only made to stand up in his seat. The young doctors were beaten up later on,” said Fareeha Bilal, the wife of Dr Kashif Bilal who had led the doctors into the medical superintendent’s office.
Special Assistant to Chief Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique said young doctors should work for the patients rather than establish hunger camps like trade unions. He said the government was ready to listen to their problems, however they needed to abandon negative tactics.
He has said the hunger strike was unjustified and they could not shirk from their responsibilities in this manner. Rafique said that the chief minister had increased the budget for development of the health sector from Rs10 billion to Rs50 billion during the last five years. He said pay packages and service structures of five billion rupees had been given to young doctors and services of more than 4,000 young doctors had been regularised which was unprecedented. He said the government was ready to negotiate with doctors but the association must not speak for people who beat up teachers and the media.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 5th, 2013.
COMMENTS (3)
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If you are an engineer and you dont want to ask for ur rights, then it is not the fault of the doctors community. We don't want the people to treat us as angels or "maseeha"... No angel would come and treat any patients!! Treat us like professionals..not Gods...Not Maseeha...Not Angels! How long will the professionals of this country be screwed by politicians who don't even have real degrees? Why does the public pay so much money to the private hospitals and clinics? If our public health care was so perfect, you wouldnt have to pay a ruppee for your health. Why doctors have to stand up for the your health when you dont want free QUALITY health care? Why do WE have to stand up for YOUR rights? IMO, This public deserves Hakeems! Stand up for ur rights and vote wisely.
Now this is prepostrous, although YDA is asking for their rights but that doesn't mean you deny your duties (and play with the lives of the needy). These daily strikes won't do any good for anybody. Asking for service structure is agreeable, we the engineering community is also denied of this structure, but should we also go for a strike too? NO...
Whatever you do is not always correct, we don't need to be poignant for any wrongdoings of our governments. Patience is all that's required and whatever The Almighty has granted us will surely come to us !!