Doctors in Peshawar observe strike

Doctors from hospital in Peshawar abandoned their work in protest against the kidnapping of a noted physician.

PESHAWAR: Doctors from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s largest hospital in Peshawar abandoned their work on Tuesday in protest against the kidnapping of a noted physician. The strike will continue on Wednesday (today).

Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) doctors stayed away from the Out Patient Department (OPD) and other services excluding emergency, causing a serious problem for patients and their attendants.

Other doctors from Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), the Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) and Ayub Medical Complex (AMC) Abbotabad also observed a token strike for two hours on Tuesday. The protesting doctors have also said that they will keep their private clinics shut for two days around the province.

Noted physician, Dr Intikhab Alam, who worked at LRH, was kidnapped by unidentified armed men last Thursday when he was leaving his private hospital in Nanakpura locality in Hashtnagri area of Peshawar.

Alam’s abduction was followed by a series of protests and strikes by the Provincial Doctors Association (PDA) and Teaching Staff Association.

Patients coming in from remote and tribal areas of the province are suffering as a result of the strike. Zakir, a resident of Shabqadar tehsil of Charsadda district, came to LRH for his daughter’s operation, which was to be held on Tuesday.

“I was told to not feed the child overnight and purchased medicines and other necessary items, but outside the theatre I was told that doctors were on strike,” Zakir said. He pleaded with the doctors to operate on his daughter, so that his worries could come to an end.

However, Dr Mohamamd Akram, a senior doctor told The Express Tribune that the strike, which is being observed on the call of PDA and the teaching staff association, will last for two days, excluding the emergency ward at LRH. He added that other hospitals will observe a token strike for two hours for two days.

He said that doctors are also keeping their private clinics closed for two days against the kidnapping of the doctor.

He said that if the kidnapped doctor was not released, then a general body of the doctors will have to decide future course of action, warning that they could expand the strike to the whole province.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2010.