The doctor’s community in Karachi completely boycotted outpatient departments (OPDs) in all major public sector and private hospitals to protest against the rising incidents of target killing and extortion demands from doctors.
The protest call was jointly given by Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Sindh Doctors’ Welfare Association (SDWA), Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA), Medical Aid Committee, College of Family Medicine and Private Hospital Association, along with various other organizations.
The protest demonstration and rallies were also organized in various private and public healthcare centres where doctors strongly condemned the increasing incidents of target killing and extortion in Karachi.
Doctors from Liaquat National Hospital Karachi also staged a rally to show solidarity with their colleagues who have died in target killing incidents in past, while health practitioners from Aga Khan University Hospital also showed their support by wearing black armbands.
The outpatient departments (OPDs) of all governmental hospitals of the city, including Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH), Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), National Institute of Children Hospital (NICH) and National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) remained closed as doctors observed a strike. The protesting doctors said that they would go on strike if they did not get proper security.
According to the Pakistan Medical Association, 17 doctors were gunned down in 2014 in various areas of the metropolis, while four doctors have been murdered so far this year.
President Sindh Doctor’s Welfare Association (SDWA) Dr Ghulam Mujtaba Memon talking to the media said that five doctors have been killed in first month of 2015.He said as per Pakistan Medical & Dental Council statistics around 3000 specialists doctor have left the country in past two or three years over various security issues including target killing, threats, fear and increasing extortion demands in the city.
He said there is great demand of Pakistani doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff in Arab and other countries but the Pakistani doctors who prefer to serve their own countrymen are being killed. He said the Sindh government has completely failed to protect doctors.
SDWA Secretary General Dr Shan e Alam said the civil society and media should support doctors so that these killings can stop. He said provincial authorities should provide protection to health practitioners. He asked the government to announce compensation for the doctors killed in target killing incidents.
Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre Doctors Association President Jawed Jamali said a complete strike was observed in the hospital and all the OPDs services remained suspended due to doctors’ protest.
Sindh Paramedical Staff Welfare Association Central President Akhlaq Ahmed Khan strongly condemned the killing of doctors in Karachi and supported the call for strike given by doctors’ organizations. He said the security of doctors, nurses, and paramedical in Sindh is the responsibility of the provincial government.