Up in arms: Young doctors protest ‘privatisation’ of public health facilities
Association plans to stage demos at 15-day intervals province-wide
Young doctors holds a demonstration in support of their demands, in the provincial capital. PHOTO: ONLINE
LAHORE:
Scores of young doctors staged demonstrations on Wednesday across the city and blocked its main thoroughfares for vehicular traffic to register their protest against the proposed outsourcing of public hospital management in 10 districts to private service operators.
Doctors from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Mayo Hospital and De Montmorency College of Dentistry blocked The Mall, those from Lahore General Hospital (LGH) and Children’s Hospital blocked Ferozepur Road, those from Services Hospital and the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) blocked Jail Road and prevented entry to GOR I while those from Jinnah Hospital and Shaikh Zayed Hospital blocked Canal Road. Traffic came to a halt for hours across the locations due to picketing by the doctors.
“Privatisation of health facilities should be immediately stopped. Senior doctors are supporting young doctors to prevent the privatisation of health facilities,” Amir Bandesha of the Young Doctors’Association (YDA) said. He said doctors had been manhandled inIslamabad’s Red Zone. Bandesha said the YDA had resolved to boycott OPD services if such an action was repeated. “The association will stage demonstrations at 15-day intervals across the Punjab.
We are concerned about how private operators will run DHQs in 10 districts. What criteria will be employed to procure medicines, treat patients and recruit doctors and medical professionals,” he said. Bandesha said the government had not contacted anyone affiliated with the association to hold talks on the issue. He said the YDA would be compelled to take extreme measures if negotiations were not held in this regard.
YDA information secretary Khurram Shehzad asked whether the government would also handover police to private service operators to maintain order if it found it difficult to effectively manage the department.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 10th, 2015.
Scores of young doctors staged demonstrations on Wednesday across the city and blocked its main thoroughfares for vehicular traffic to register their protest against the proposed outsourcing of public hospital management in 10 districts to private service operators.
Doctors from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Mayo Hospital and De Montmorency College of Dentistry blocked The Mall, those from Lahore General Hospital (LGH) and Children’s Hospital blocked Ferozepur Road, those from Services Hospital and the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) blocked Jail Road and prevented entry to GOR I while those from Jinnah Hospital and Shaikh Zayed Hospital blocked Canal Road. Traffic came to a halt for hours across the locations due to picketing by the doctors.
“Privatisation of health facilities should be immediately stopped. Senior doctors are supporting young doctors to prevent the privatisation of health facilities,” Amir Bandesha of the Young Doctors’Association (YDA) said. He said doctors had been manhandled inIslamabad’s Red Zone. Bandesha said the YDA had resolved to boycott OPD services if such an action was repeated. “The association will stage demonstrations at 15-day intervals across the Punjab.
We are concerned about how private operators will run DHQs in 10 districts. What criteria will be employed to procure medicines, treat patients and recruit doctors and medical professionals,” he said. Bandesha said the government had not contacted anyone affiliated with the association to hold talks on the issue. He said the YDA would be compelled to take extreme measures if negotiations were not held in this regard.
YDA information secretary Khurram Shehzad asked whether the government would also handover police to private service operators to maintain order if it found it difficult to effectively manage the department.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 10th, 2015.