Young doctors continue strike

LAHORE

The poor patients have condemned Punjab government and young doctors for ignoring the plight of patients while sticking to their stance without finding a middle way to solve the crisis as Young Doctors Association’s strike in public hospitals of Punjab entered the 12th day on Saturday.

“Both Punjab government and young doctors are claiming to protect the rights of patients while violating the same with impunity,” said Shahid Irfan, who was visiting the Services Hospital for the treatment of his elderly mother.

The YDA, Punjab, claimed that young doctors had completely boycotted the services in emergency wards of Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore, Allied Hospital and DHQ Hospital in Faisalabad and Shaikh Zayed Hospital in Rahimyar Khan on Saturday as the leadership had decided to gradually close down emergency wards in public sector hospitals across Punjab unless the government bowed before YDA and accepted their demands.

Meanwhile, YDA leadership claimed that YDA continued its strike in outdoor and indoor wards across Punjab on the 12th consecutive day on Saturday. “This is happening all because of the ego of one person, who is bent upon destroying the health sector of Punjab while sitting on the key post of secretary of Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education (SHC&ME) Department,” said Dr Salman Haseeb,  YDA Punjab media secretary.

However, contrary to the claims, YDA only managed to ensure a partial strike in hospitals as it was only restricted to a few hospitals including PIC, Services Hospital and Jinnah Hospital in Lahore, Allied Hospital in Faisalabad and Shaikh Zayed Hospital in Rahimyar Khan, whereas the young doctors in rest of public sector hospitals in Lahore and other districts of Punjab had distanced themselves from the insane strike of certain leaders of YDA. The emergency wards in all other public sector hospitals, including Services Hospital and Jinnah Hospital in Lahore, are functioning without any disruption.

Meanwhile, the young doctors in Mayo Hospital, Lady Wellington Hospital, Lady Aitchison Hospital, Punjab Dental Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore General Hospital, Children’s Hospital, Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital, Nawaz Sharif Hospital, Yakki Gate, Government Said Mitha Hospital, Government Shahdara Hospital, Gulab Devi Hospital in Lahore continued treatment services with occasional complaints of refusal to treatment services in outdoor and indoor wards of these hospitals. The SHC&ME Department is trying to ensure alternative arrangements by deputing professors, association and assistant professors and senior doctors of administration besides making recruitment of doctors on vacant postgraduate slots to provide treatment services to the patients.