Doctors’ woes: YDA set to intensify protest campaign
Final street protest slated for Thursday.
File photo of young doctors protesting.. PHOTO: INP/FILE
LAHORE:
The Young Doctors’ Association will stage a final street protest on Thursday before the campaign intensifies, YDA president Chaudhry Ajmal said on Tuesday.
He was speaking to journalists at Jinnah Hospital. Ajmal said the association had already staged several protests in the province over four months. He said the Health Department had failed to redress doctors’ grievances despite back-to-back meetings. Ajmal said the YDA had been compelled to adopt this approach as all other means had been exhausted.
The YDA president said the final street protest would be staged for three-and-a-hours instead of two. He said the protest would be held between 10am and 1:30pm. Ajmal said the pattern of street protest would be the same as before. He said doctors from Shaikh Zayed Hospital and Jinnah Hospital would block Canal Road, those from Mayo Hospital, Ganga Ram Hospital and Punjab Dental Hospital would block The Mall at Charing Cross, those from Children’s Hospital and Lahore General Hospital would block Ferozepur Road while those from the Punjab Institute of Cardiology and Services Hospital would block Jail Road. Ajmal said doctors would also come together in other cities of the province including Rawalpindi, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sargodha and Gujrat. He said the YDA would decide whether to stage a demonstration at the Provincial Assembly, the chief minister’s residence in Model Town or the Government Officers’ Residences (GOR) in a meeting of the association’s general council following Thursday’s protest.
The YDA president said an in-patient departments strike would be observed at hospitals province-wide if the government used force against doctors. He said the association’s demands remained unchanged. Ajmal said doctors would not budge till they had secured their rights. The association has called for doctors’ direct induction in grade 18, implementation of the agreed upon service structure, attractive remuneration packages, provision of free medicines at labour rooms and paediatric emergency wards and action against certain health officials.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 15th, 2015.
The Young Doctors’ Association will stage a final street protest on Thursday before the campaign intensifies, YDA president Chaudhry Ajmal said on Tuesday.
He was speaking to journalists at Jinnah Hospital. Ajmal said the association had already staged several protests in the province over four months. He said the Health Department had failed to redress doctors’ grievances despite back-to-back meetings. Ajmal said the YDA had been compelled to adopt this approach as all other means had been exhausted.
The YDA president said the final street protest would be staged for three-and-a-hours instead of two. He said the protest would be held between 10am and 1:30pm. Ajmal said the pattern of street protest would be the same as before. He said doctors from Shaikh Zayed Hospital and Jinnah Hospital would block Canal Road, those from Mayo Hospital, Ganga Ram Hospital and Punjab Dental Hospital would block The Mall at Charing Cross, those from Children’s Hospital and Lahore General Hospital would block Ferozepur Road while those from the Punjab Institute of Cardiology and Services Hospital would block Jail Road. Ajmal said doctors would also come together in other cities of the province including Rawalpindi, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sargodha and Gujrat. He said the YDA would decide whether to stage a demonstration at the Provincial Assembly, the chief minister’s residence in Model Town or the Government Officers’ Residences (GOR) in a meeting of the association’s general council following Thursday’s protest.
The YDA president said an in-patient departments strike would be observed at hospitals province-wide if the government used force against doctors. He said the association’s demands remained unchanged. Ajmal said doctors would not budge till they had secured their rights. The association has called for doctors’ direct induction in grade 18, implementation of the agreed upon service structure, attractive remuneration packages, provision of free medicines at labour rooms and paediatric emergency wards and action against certain health officials.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 15th, 2015.