LAHORE – The Young Doctors Association called off its strike in all hospitals throughout the Punjab on Thursday but more than 23 patients expired over the last 36 hours due to doctors’ absence from their duties. The doctors had refused to attend emergency, indoor and outdoor patients as part of their strike, resulting in multiple casualties in different hospitals. Young doctors while addressing a press conference said that they had called off their strike in public hospitals and now they would attend in-door, out-patients departments and emergency wards. YDA President Dr Hamid Butt said that the Punjab government had decided to increase doctors’ salary package and it would be announced by Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif in a few days. He said that the government had accepted their demands of a handsome salary package, medical facility for doctors’ families and security for doctors in public hospitals.
“If the CM had come earlier from London, doctors would not have gone that far to withdraw their services from the emergencies and these circumstances would not have created,” said Butt. Butt said that casualties’ responsibility lied on professors, associate professors and assistant professors. He said, “We offered the civil society to fight for them but no body helped us and we had to decide to withdraw our services. We came out to stabilize the health system. When we save lives, no body admires us and when anyone expires, everyone blames us.” KHOSA PACIFIES DOCTORS: Before the press conference, YDA’s delegation met the Senior Advisor to Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa.
During the meeting, YDA’s demands were considered and various proposals were discussed in this regard. Khosa said that doctors were associated with a sacred profession and they should call off the strike in the larger interest of the poor, as the government, despite financial constraints, was considering their demands and their salaries could be increased in the next financial budget. YDA’s delegation thanked Khosa for taking interest in the resolution of their problems and considering their demands sympathetically and assured him that they were calling off the strike unconditionally. The delegation also assured its unconditional cooperation to Khosa. Delegation of YDA included Dr Nasir Abbas, Dr Mazhar Chaudhry, Dr Rai Ahmed, Dr Abu Bakkar Gondal, Dr Jehangir and Dr Bajwa.
CASUALTIES – RESPONSIBLE WHO? Lady Wallington Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Afzal Shaheen told Pakistan Today that the hospital’s administration had faced many difficulties owing to the doctors’ strike. He narrated the story of Nasreen who died owing to doctors’ strike. Nasreen Javid, a patient from Sheikhpura, had become a shuttlecock between Lahore and his native city and ultimately expired. She was brought to the Lady Wallington Hospital from District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) Sheikhpura in a critical condition. The DHQ administration transferred her after a failed operation but when she was brought to LWH, the doctors were on strike and they refused to check her. Senior doctors advised them to take her back to Sheikhpura and she expired on her way back.
Sources from the Health Departments said that about one million patients suffered owing to the 30-day strike in teaching hospitals. They said that in the last 36 hours, more than 23 patients, mostly infants, expired. In the last 24 hours, about 14 including 6 new born babies expired, sources said. “Among 14 children, who expired, six belonged to Lahore and eight were from different areas adjoining Lahore. Two of them were from the emergency ward while one from the surgical nursery emergency, one from the cancer ward, 4 from the nursery ward and six from the nursery emergency,” sources said.
Children’s
Hospital Medical Director Prof Dr Ahsan Waheed Rathore confirmed eight causalities in the hospital in the last 24 hours and said that these figures were less because patients already knew about the doctors’ strike and refrained from coming to public hospitals. He said that administration had faced many difficulties during the strike but now it would be better after the doctors called off strike.
