A petition was filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday challenging the Young Doctors Association’s (YDA) announcement to hold a strike from May 12 in all public-sector hospitals of Punjab.
The case has been fixed for hearing before the court of LHC Chief Justice (CJ) Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry on Monday. Muhammad & Ahmad, a public interest litigation firm, filed the petition through Azhar Siddique placing in the respondent’s list 25 parties including the Punjab government, Pakistan Medical and Dental Association, Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), YDA, Punjab Police inspector general and various doctors’ representative organisations.
The petitioners submitted that doctors violated the PMDC rules and code of ethics by observing a 37-days strike. They said that as a result of the said-strike, 200 patients lost their lives but no action was taken against doctors who encouraged the medial community to observe another strike. The petitioners said that the LHC CJ on April 8 had ordered the Punjab government to hold an inquiry into the strike and losses incurred during it. He directed that people responsible for the losses must be determined and punished.
The petitioners said that doctors have again announced to observe a strike on May 12, without waiting for the inquiry commission report. They said that the act was a violation of court orders and an attempt to take away innocent lives of citizens, therefore, this action might be declared illegal and unconstitutional. The petitioners requested the court to order the PMDC to take action against doctors who observed or were involved in the 37-days strike and announced another strike on May 12.
They also requested the court to order police to register criminal cases against all those who are involved in any exercise of taking away innocent lives. The petitioners requested the court to direct the Punjab government to implement the Punjab Health Care Commission Act 2010 in letter and spirit.