Welcomes the decision of taking actions against private medical colleges
LAHORE: The Young Doctors Association (YDA) agreed not to hold protests and strikes in the public sector hospitals after the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Mian Saqib Nisar gave a direction not to hold such protests in the government hospitals while hearing a suo motu case on the provision of medical facilities in government hospitals on Saturday.
According to the details, the CJP gave these directions while hearing multiple cases, including the case of exorbitant fees in the private medical colleges, provision of medical facilities in the government hospitals and provision of clean drinking water, in the Lahore Registry of Supreme Court on Saturday.
The CJP asked the health secretary present in the courtroom that why the government failed to provide medical facilities in the public sector hospitals. The secretary held the protesting young doctors responsible for the hindrance in the provision of health facilities in hospitals.
The CJP then asked the young doctors to approach the courts if they have any grievances against the health department instead of holding strikes and protests.
Talking to Pakistan Today, YDA Pakistan General Secretary Dr Salman Kazmi, who was present in the courtroom during the hearing, said that he gave full assurance to the CJP of not holding protests. “I am personally against the closure of emergencies of hospitals during the protests and I urge all the colleagues to approach the courts in case of any complaint against the government as pointed asked by CJP,” said Dr Kazmi who, along with his fellows, established the first-ever YDA in the country in 2008.
“I am also very pleased over the reigning of private medical colleges by the CJP as these mafias were making billions in the name of education,” said Dr Kazmi, who was also one of the petitioners in the case of exorbitant fee of private medical colleges.
It is worth mentioning here that YDA has a long history of protests and confrontation with the health department. Several factions of YDA are now present in different public sector hospitals of the province and numerous differences have also emerged between young doctors over the closure of emergencies in the hospitals.
However, it is pertinent to mention here that the Punjab government has registered FIRs over the protesting doctors time and again because of the deaths that took place due to their protests. Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court was also moved in the past against the protests of young doctors while an adjournment motion was also submitted in the Punjab Assembly by Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed against these protesting young doctors.
It has also been noticed on several occasions that the protesting junior doctors were involved in the financial irregularities in the tenders of hostels’ canteens and rooms and therefore they hold protests just to pressurise the administration to exonerate them from these malpractices. They have even pressurised the Anti-Corruption Department when the department took actions against them on the charges of financial corruption.