In govt-doctors standoff, it’s the patients who lose

A large number of patients were facing trouble due to non availability of treatment in the government hospitals across the province as Young Doctors Association (YDA) strike in different parts of Punjab against non-acceptance of their demands on Monday continued even on eighth consecutive day.
The young doctors have been on strike in OPDs at all levels, including rural healthcare centres, tehsil headquarters hospitals, district headquarters hospitals and teaching hospitals across the province since June 18 on the call of YDA Punjab chapter demanding revision of service structure of doctors serving under the provincial government.
Outdoor wards of all the government hospitals in Multan — Nishtar, Children Complex, Civil, Fatima Jinnah Women hospital were closed.
Patients coming from remote areas for medical aid faced immense difficulties. A large number of patients in Faisalabad government hospitals had to return unattended and uncared by the doctors due to their strike. The situation is no different in Gujranwala District Headquarters Hospital, Bhawalpur’s Victoria Hospital and Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, where the patients were seen pouring in but there was none to attend them even in the OPDs, which remained closed due to the doctors’ strike.

‘Punjab govt is lying about doctors’ salaries’

More than 1000 seats of doctors were lying vacant in Punjab and the Punjab government had failed to hire doctors on these seats despite repeated advertisements in the last 2 years, Pakistan Today learnt on Monday. “The Punjab government is unfortunately presenting wrong facts about the salaries of doctors in the media to mislead the public,” claims a Young Doctors’ Association (YDA) office bearer. “The reality is contrary to the claims made by the government,” said Dr Rana Sohail. Such misleading statements were further aggravating the situation and creating unrest in the doctors’ community. “The salary of a new graduate doctor is Rs 24000 while the stenographer of high court is getting about Rs 65000,” informed Dr Talha Sherwani. He further added that the Government of Punjab was comparing doctors with the government departments’ employees who work from 8am to 2pm while the doctors were working 24/7 the whole week and were on duties even on Sunday and national holidays. Another YDA office bearer Dr Salman Kazmi said that if the doctors were not to be in the hospitals to attend patients, all free medicines, new buildings, dialysis centers, AC and generators would go waste and the public would be deprived of the medical facilities.
The YDA alleged that despite strike in OPDs, the concerned government authorities had been paying no heed to the demands of young doctors compelling them to intensify their protest. The YDA also alleged that the Punjab government had failed to keep its promise as it failed in implementing the decision of the Lahore High Court which directed the concerned authorities in March 2012 to revise service structure of doctors within six weeks.
Punjab YDA General Council Chairman Dr Muhammad Haroon said that the YDA supreme general council meeting will be held on June 28 at the Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi. It will be attended by 24 presidents of chapters of the YDA wherein the YDA would plan to intensify the strike. He said that the YDA was planning to announce strike in IPDs as well during next week while the young doctors also have plans to come on roads and stage sit-in protests all across the province against the government’s non-serious attitude.
The young doctors’ strike in OPDs for last eight days in public sector healthcare facilities in almost all major cities of the province, including Rawalpindi, has added to miseries of poor patients who could not afford treatment at private healthcare facilities. Like other districts of the Punjab, the OPDs in three teaching hospitals of Rawalpindi were closed on the eight days of the strike. A large number of patients have expressed annoys over the young doctors’ strike in healthcare facilities could not be justified. They said that opting for medical profession simply means to serve humanity and doctors should not cause loss to patients.