Punjab Young Doctors Association (YDA) has rejected the recently-introduced central induction post graduate policy and held protest rallies across the province on Wednesday. In Lahore, they blocked the main arteries of the city and raised anti-government slogans to press for their demands.
Young doctors of Mayo Hospital blocked the Mall Road, Ganga Ram doctors blocked Fatima Jinnah Road and Punjab Dental Hospital doctors blocked the Ravi road in protest.
Likewise, doctors of Services and Punjab Institute of Cardiology blocked the Jail Road, while Children Hospital and General Hospital doctors blocked Ferozpur Road. Jinnah Hospital and Sheikh Zaid Hospital doctors protested on the Canal Road.
Due to these rallies and protests, people faced a lot of trouble and kept stuck in massive traffic jams for hours.
Around 600 doctors blocked the Canal Road during their protest and vowed to stage a sit-in in front of Punjab Assembly if the government does not withdraw the policy of induction in the post-graduate training.
According to the president of YDA Jinnah Hospital Lahore Dr Adnan Gondal, the said policy will discourage the doctors to pursue their specialization. Speaking to Pakistan Today, he said that there are more than 1500 doctors who want to be inducted in the post-graduate training but government has announced only 650 seats.
The health department has no answer to our reservations as there was a complete deadlock in all the four meetings which were held with the high officials of the department, Gondal said, He was present in the meeting held last night with health officials. The government has announced 52 seats for Jinnah Hospital while there are more than 100 doctors who are eligible to get their induction in the post graduation there.
A protester named Dr Abdul Basit told Pakistan Today that government will produce legal quacks if the policy is implemented as most of our District Headquarters Hospitals (DHQs) are not capable of producing quality doctors. According to the new policy, doctors will also be sent to DHQs for post-graduate training.
“Two things play a vital role to produce a specialized doctor; one is infrastructure of the hospital and second is supervisor. It is evident that our all DHQs lack these both facilities and a doctor will be ruined practically if he passes through this induction policy,” Basit said.
Dr Saud Rana, president of YDA from Children Hospital Lahore told Pakistan Today that 140 seats were demanded in his hospital but only 22 seats have been given. “The government says that merit was violated in previous policy and that YDA builds pressure for the payment of unpaid trainees. I urge the government to depute its representative to have a check on all such violations and YDA itself will help the government,” Dr Saud said. He said that the boycott of out-doors and in-doors may also be exercised if the government does not withdraw its policy.
Meanwhile, a group of doctors from Mayo Hospital Lahore tried to enter the Punjab Assembly building during their protest and an apparent brawl was also erupted between police officials and the protesting doctors. An office bearer from YDA Mayo Dr Zafarullah said that there is already a dearth of specialised doctors and the policy adopted by the government will further reduce the numbers. “According to international standard, there must be a specialised doctor for every 500 patients but here we have one specialised doctor for 20,000 patients,” he said. He gave an ultimatum of 48 hours to the government to withdraw the policy.