Hunger strike: Young Doctors Association chalks out a list of demands
YDA president says they will no longer be ‘deceived’ by the health department.
File photo of young doctors protesting.. PHOTO: INP/FILE
PESHAWAR:
The Young Doctors Association (YDA) went on a hunger strike on Saturday and set up a camp beneath the Malik Saad Shaheed flyover.
Doctors led by YDA President Dr Alamgir Yousafzai laid out their demands to the provincial government and vowed to continue their strike until they are met. “We will continue our hunger strike, but will not stop providing health services to patients,” Yousafzai said.
He claimed they had protested and observed strikes in the past, but will no longer be deceived by the government and the health department. Their demands included the provision of free medicines, laboratory investigations, CT scan, magnetic resonance imaging and free meals for patients in all public hospitals across the province.
“We want a service structure, scrapping of the Medical Officer Act, security for doctors, regularisation of services of doctors registered with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and a permanent solution to the problems of house officers and trainee medical officers,” the YDA president argued.
Provincial Health Employees Coordination Council President Dr Musa Kaleem said YDA decided to go on a hunger strike to protest against the indifferent attitude of the government towards doctors.
He claimed the government had constructed a paramedical institute to train paramedics, with an estimated cost of Rs250 million in Dawranpur near the Peshawar interchange. “Instead of using the institute, the government is using the Zulifqar Ali Bhutto Medical College to impart training. We demand the services be returned to the institute.”
We want the government to take all employees on board when formulating policy to improve healthcare services in public hospitals.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 15th, 2013.
The Young Doctors Association (YDA) went on a hunger strike on Saturday and set up a camp beneath the Malik Saad Shaheed flyover.
Doctors led by YDA President Dr Alamgir Yousafzai laid out their demands to the provincial government and vowed to continue their strike until they are met. “We will continue our hunger strike, but will not stop providing health services to patients,” Yousafzai said.
He claimed they had protested and observed strikes in the past, but will no longer be deceived by the government and the health department. Their demands included the provision of free medicines, laboratory investigations, CT scan, magnetic resonance imaging and free meals for patients in all public hospitals across the province.
“We want a service structure, scrapping of the Medical Officer Act, security for doctors, regularisation of services of doctors registered with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and a permanent solution to the problems of house officers and trainee medical officers,” the YDA president argued.
Provincial Health Employees Coordination Council President Dr Musa Kaleem said YDA decided to go on a hunger strike to protest against the indifferent attitude of the government towards doctors.
He claimed the government had constructed a paramedical institute to train paramedics, with an estimated cost of Rs250 million in Dawranpur near the Peshawar interchange. “Instead of using the institute, the government is using the Zulifqar Ali Bhutto Medical College to impart training. We demand the services be returned to the institute.”
We want the government to take all employees on board when formulating policy to improve healthcare services in public hospitals.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 15th, 2013.