Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Monday has noted with concern the suffering heaped on people by the prolonged strike of doctors in Punjab and said both sides should stop their wrangling for sake of patients. Protests and strikes are not unheard of in Pakistan but they had never led to suspension of emergency care. HRCP believed that doctors abandoning their life-saving vows to press for their demands is utterly indefensible and has contributed to the loss of sympathy for them among the people, the Commission said in a statement issued here.
It said some of the protesting doctors’ demands may be justified, but the ongoing wrangling is symptomatic of the anarchy of thought and practice in the country where neither side is willing to abandon its stance for sake of an amicable settlement.
Both sides have shown no inclination to budge and have sought to achieve a stronger bargaining position by resorting to threats, the statement said.
It said HRCP did not support the coercive tactics by the Punjab government, aimed at finding a solution.
“Who can disagree with the need for discipline in service, but the government’s ham-handed methods to deal with protests have lowered its credit,” it said, adding that the grievances of doctors have accumulated over time and that too is for the government to make sure that does not happen. The matter must be resolved at the earliest. It said the medical profession was the first one in Pakistan to be regulated by a professional body. The prevailing stalemate is also a reflection on the performance of that body and how the role and representative character of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council has been eroded also deserves to be examined. Ultimately, it is imperative that a high-powered commission is established to examine the affairs of public healthcare in Pakistan.
