Is anyone paying heed to doctors in K-P?

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa doctors’ demand for a service structure is a 65-year-old issue for which professionals and civil society members are fighting and struggling in one way or the other under many past governments — but in vain. Despite promises by provincial leaders, the doctors are continuously deprived.

A formalised service structure will facilitate the doctors’ promotion, specialisation and job incentives. The erstwhile North West Frontier Province, under the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal had approved a service structure for the paramedics. However, doctors were left out. Of late, the Punjab government announced a service structure for province’s doctors after lengthy protests by the doctors association in the course of which many doctors were arrested, transferred and sacked.

Indeed, last year, the Awami National Party, which was leading the government in K-P, started a movement for the service structure and for the first time in the history of Pakistan prepared a draft for such a service structure in a booklet form titled ‘Proposals for improved career structure for doctors.’

However, doctors exhausted all possible avenues to amicably resolve this issue without resorting to strikes and boycott. Despite that, the then provincial health minister, Syed Zahir Ali Shah, refused to meet them.

This forced the province’s doctors to start a movement from November 2012 to press for a service structure and the first phase started from Mardan Medical Complex with a two hours long token strike, which later extended to all district headquarters hospitals and tertiary care hospitals across the province.

Two hours of token strike per day continued for more than 22 days. Yet, the then administration refused to address doctors’ long-standing demand.

Though the rule in K-P changed in May, doctors have realised that the administration is still not taking their issues seriously. The medics gathered before the provincial assembly building and held hunger strikes. Little good came out of it.

After two days of protest in front of assembly, K-P Health Minister Shaukat Yousafzai visited protesting doctors’ camp on September 16 and promised that government will ensure service structure to doctors within three months and in case of failing to do so he will resign from his office.

Today, months have passed since the health minister’s promise. The doctors of K-P are still waiting.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2014.