LAHORE/MULTAN - In a successful bid to render toothless the young doctors’ strike, the Punjab government on Saturday transferred over 100 doctors from other districts, Basic and Rural Health Units (BHUs and RHUs) to the teaching hospitals in the city of Lahore besides making fresh recruitments.
Public hospitals have cancelled leaves of senior doctors and recruited dozens of new doctors to fill the vacuum created by protesting young doctors. Healthcare facilities at emergency and out-patient departments were particularly suffering, and the government has caused a successful blow to the prolonged strike by young doctors.
The government has deployed heavy police around all teaching hospitals to avert an untoward incident.
In a related development, the government has also warned the doctors to join their duties within 24 hours or face dismissal. The Young Doctors’ Association (YDA), however, has rejected the ultimatum and vowed afresh to continue the strike. At all teaching hospitals, including Mayo Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Services Hospital, Lahore General Hospital and Children Hospital, senior medics and temporarily posted young doctors provided treatment at emergencies and OPDs for the first day in over a month. These hospitals have recruited over 60 doctors through walk-in interviews. The protesting doctors, according to the hospitals, could lose jobs as the law did not allow strike. Office-bearer of Young Doctors Association, Dr Nasir Abbas claimed that the YDA has resignations of around 3,000 medics from the city. He said that the number of resignations from all over the province would reach 10,000. He, however, said that the resignations have not been sent to the Punjab Government. He said that the YDA was on strike and it would continue protest till acceptance of all demands. He said that the YDA would call off strike and the medics would return to the duty if the decisions taken during the negotiations with Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa were implemented in letter and spirit.
To ensure functioning of emergencies and OPDs, MPA Dr Assad Ashraf personally attended visiting patients at Mayo Hospital. According to the hospital management, presence of Dr Assad Ashraf throughout the day made the efforts of providing treatment successful.
According to the Punjab Health Department, senior doctors performed duties at hospitals and provided medical treatment to 5,583 patients at emergencies and 7,770 at outdoors. On Saturday, medical facilities were provided to 372 patients at emergencies and 680 at outdoor of Mayo Hospital, 293 and 93 at Jinnah Hospital, 400 at Services Hospital, 200 at emergency and 517 at outdoor of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, 1,351 at Punjab Institute of Cardiology, 351 at emergency of Children Hospital, 156 at emergency and 246 at outdoor of Lahore General Hospital, 323 and 582 at Nishtar Hospital Multan, 620 and 1,540 at Bahawalpur Victoria Hospital, 210 and 523 at Sheikh Zaid Hospital Rahim Yar Khan, 738 and 723 at Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi, 330 and 882 at Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi, 118 and 161 at District Headquarter Hospital Rawalpindi, 150 and 556 at Allied Hospital Faisalabad whereas 70 patients were treated at emergency and 1363 at outdoor of District Headquarter Hospital Faisalabad.
Meanwhile, Multan hospitals present the view of morgues as at least 27 patients lost their lives in the last 24 hours because of doctors’ strike.
Out of 27 deceased, as many as 24 died in Nishtar Hospital while rest of three breathed their last in Multan Institute of Cardiology.
Holding leaders of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and Young Doctors Association (YDA) responsible for loss of precious human lives, the heirs of the deceased and social circles demanded the government register murder cases against their leaders.
Sources confided to this scribe that 435 postgraduate registrars and 170 house officers appointed at Nishtar Hospital remained absent for the whole day. The Health Department summoned doctors from dispensaries and basic health units under an emergency call to run hospitals in urban areas of Multan.
Contrary to their threats to resign from their jobs, not even a single medic tendered his resignation till filing of this report. However, the PMA and YDA office-bearers kept threatening those doctors who wanted to discharge their professional obligations, asking them not to attend any patient or be ready to face the consequences.
Public hospitals have cancelled leaves of senior doctors and recruited dozens of new doctors to fill the vacuum created by protesting young doctors. Healthcare facilities at emergency and out-patient departments were particularly suffering, and the government has caused a successful blow to the prolonged strike by young doctors.
The government has deployed heavy police around all teaching hospitals to avert an untoward incident.
In a related development, the government has also warned the doctors to join their duties within 24 hours or face dismissal. The Young Doctors’ Association (YDA), however, has rejected the ultimatum and vowed afresh to continue the strike. At all teaching hospitals, including Mayo Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Services Hospital, Lahore General Hospital and Children Hospital, senior medics and temporarily posted young doctors provided treatment at emergencies and OPDs for the first day in over a month. These hospitals have recruited over 60 doctors through walk-in interviews. The protesting doctors, according to the hospitals, could lose jobs as the law did not allow strike. Office-bearer of Young Doctors Association, Dr Nasir Abbas claimed that the YDA has resignations of around 3,000 medics from the city. He said that the number of resignations from all over the province would reach 10,000. He, however, said that the resignations have not been sent to the Punjab Government. He said that the YDA was on strike and it would continue protest till acceptance of all demands. He said that the YDA would call off strike and the medics would return to the duty if the decisions taken during the negotiations with Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa were implemented in letter and spirit.
To ensure functioning of emergencies and OPDs, MPA Dr Assad Ashraf personally attended visiting patients at Mayo Hospital. According to the hospital management, presence of Dr Assad Ashraf throughout the day made the efforts of providing treatment successful.
According to the Punjab Health Department, senior doctors performed duties at hospitals and provided medical treatment to 5,583 patients at emergencies and 7,770 at outdoors. On Saturday, medical facilities were provided to 372 patients at emergencies and 680 at outdoor of Mayo Hospital, 293 and 93 at Jinnah Hospital, 400 at Services Hospital, 200 at emergency and 517 at outdoor of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, 1,351 at Punjab Institute of Cardiology, 351 at emergency of Children Hospital, 156 at emergency and 246 at outdoor of Lahore General Hospital, 323 and 582 at Nishtar Hospital Multan, 620 and 1,540 at Bahawalpur Victoria Hospital, 210 and 523 at Sheikh Zaid Hospital Rahim Yar Khan, 738 and 723 at Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi, 330 and 882 at Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi, 118 and 161 at District Headquarter Hospital Rawalpindi, 150 and 556 at Allied Hospital Faisalabad whereas 70 patients were treated at emergency and 1363 at outdoor of District Headquarter Hospital Faisalabad.
Meanwhile, Multan hospitals present the view of morgues as at least 27 patients lost their lives in the last 24 hours because of doctors’ strike.
Out of 27 deceased, as many as 24 died in Nishtar Hospital while rest of three breathed their last in Multan Institute of Cardiology.
Holding leaders of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and Young Doctors Association (YDA) responsible for loss of precious human lives, the heirs of the deceased and social circles demanded the government register murder cases against their leaders.
Sources confided to this scribe that 435 postgraduate registrars and 170 house officers appointed at Nishtar Hospital remained absent for the whole day. The Health Department summoned doctors from dispensaries and basic health units under an emergency call to run hospitals in urban areas of Multan.
Contrary to their threats to resign from their jobs, not even a single medic tendered his resignation till filing of this report. However, the PMA and YDA office-bearers kept threatening those doctors who wanted to discharge their professional obligations, asking them not to attend any patient or be ready to face the consequences.
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