Anaesthetist kidnapped

LAHORE – Despite claims to the contrary, the Punjab government has failed to provide security for doctors on duty in teaching hospitals as some doctors kidnapped an anaesthetist from Jinnah Hospital on Tuesday.
Akram, who was injured in a road accident, was brought to Jinnah Hospital’s emergency ward late on Monday. He was severely injured and bleeding profusely. Doctors on duty decided to operate upon him and called Dr Abid, an anaesthetist, to help them with the treatment. As Dr Abid started the treatment, a number of young doctors rushed the operation theatre and kidnapped him. They also threatened other doctors on duty with dire consequences if they tried to provide treatment to patients.
The Punjab government had assured the doctors on duty in emergency wards of all hospitals that it would provide them with security and had deployed police constables for thier protection. Despite this, young doctors are continuously threatening doctors on duty via mobile calls and SMS.
Sources in the Health Department said that the involvement of some principals and professors in the strike has been proved. They said that the Health Department had prepared the list of those principals, professors and administrative staff, who have been directly or indirectly involved in the doctors’ strike and action will be taken against them soon.
Jinnah Hospital Security Director Col (r) Iftikhar Cheema told Pakistan Today that he was informed by his security guard that some young doctors had threatened the doctors on duty in the hospital’s emergency ward and had kidnapped Dr Abid. He said that he came back to the hospital from his house near Cavalry Ground and secured Dr Abid’s release. He said the government had deployed police constables in and outside the hospital emergency and their poor performance was questionable.
Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Punjab President Dr Ashraf Nizami told Pakistan Today that conventional methods should be adopted to call off the strike and young doctors should behave like grown ups. He hoped that in coming days, all matters would be resolved smoothly because the Health Department had recruited a number of doctors to counter the young doctors’ strike. He said patients were suffering most from this struggle for pay-raise by doctors.
Allama Iqbal Medical College Principal Prof Dr Javid Akram said that no one threatened Dr Abid and he went to a wedding without intimation but when he came the next morning and Prof Dr Shahida Khawaja asked him to submit his leave, he said that some doctors threatened him so he left the emergency ward without intimation. He said that Dr Abid should hand in a written application so the administration could register a case against them.