The Lahore General Hospital (LGH) is to rename its eye ward after Dr Ali Haider, the renowned eye surgeon gunned down along with his son in an apparent sectarian attack earlier this week.
The academic council of the LGH and the Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI) also decided on Thursday to introduce an annual Prof Ali Haider Gold Medal Award for its top MS Opthalmology student.
Participants in the meeting said that the government should also honour Prof Haider, by giving him a civil award and setting up an ophthalmology institute named after him.
They also suggested that a seat should be reserved at Ameeruddin Medical College for a son or daughter of a faculty member at a public medical college “who falls prey to an untoward situation like Prof Ali Haider”, said a press release regarding the academic council meeting, presided over by LGH and PGMI Principal Prof Anjam Habib Vohra.
Separately, teachers, doctors, nurses and paramedics staged a rally in protest against the murders, marching from the LGH nursing school to its outpatient department via Ferozepur Road.
Officials of the Pakistan Medical Association, the Medical Teachers Association, the Paramedical Staff Association and the All Pakistan Clerks Association APCA joined the protest.
PMA Lahore President Dr Tanvir Anwar, speaking to reporters, said that the arrest of the killers was a test for the Punjab Police. He said that doctors at government hospitals would continue to protest by wearing black arm bands till the arrest of the murderers.
A condolence reference was also held at the LGH Neuro-Auditorium, where Prof Vohra, MTA President Prof Israr Ahmed and Aslam Sayal paid tribute to Prof Haider.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 22nd, 2013.