—Foreign medics criticise young doctors for neglecting duty, ethics
LAHORE: The Young Doctors Association (YDA), Punjab, has announced that it would terminate emergency services across the province from Aug 15 (tomorrow), following a failure of negotiations with the government to resolve the standoff which has persisted for almost two weeks.
In a meeting held on Sunday at the Services Hospital, the association decided that it would suspend all its services in emergency departments of Punjab, after a failure of the health department to meet its demands.
Following this, several foreigner students, currently at various medical institutions of Lahore, have criticised the young doctors for denying treatment to ailing patients.
Requesting anonymity, a final-year African student said that: “A human being, especially a Muslim, will never deny help to anyone in distress or pain.” Another student, who hails from an Arab country, said that “Emergency departments of hospitals in my country remained operational even during airstrikes.”
A student of DE Montmorency College of Dentistry said: “We have Jews as our worst enemies back home. But a Jew doctor will never deny treatment to a wounded Palestinian.”
Others, who were also critical of YDA, said that YDA forces others to quit work and interfere with their duty.
In an emergency meeting of Medical Teachers Association held at Post Graduate Medical Institute, young doctors were asserted to come at the table of dialogue and avoid the politics of confrontation. General Secretary Sikandar Hayat Gondal said that we support the legal and due demands of young doctors’ community but the closing of emergency cannot be allowed in any way. He called upon the doctors to keep in view their great missionary principles to act for the betterment of ailing humanity and give up the agitation on the roads. Especially on the eve of 14th August, we all should affirm our belief to work for the progress and prosperity of beloved Pakistan, he said.
The paramedical staff has condemned the suspension of emergency services by YDA. Paramedics said that they won’t allow closure of emergency services, and will be outside each department to ensure compliance. They said that they cannot be threatened in this regard.
Earlier, the health department had dismissed more than 60 protesting doctors and promised to continue strict action against those on strike.
