The deadlock between the Young Doctors’ Association (YDA) Punjab and the Health Department continued as the young doctors boycotted services at out-patient departments (OPD) in all public hospitals of the city on Friday.
YDA office bearers said they were not fighting over the Gujranwala incident. Rather, they said, they were protesting for the rights of the patients who were not being provided medicines and diagnostic services at public hospitals.
On Friday, the YDA established camps outside OPDs of some public hospitals which had been closed earlier than usual due to the rain.
“The YDA has failed in making their strike successful. Friday was the fourth day of the strike and OPDs in all public hospitals functioned according to routine. At some places, the number of doctors was smaller. Action will be initiated against those not attending to their duties,” a Health Department official said.
The YDA office bearers said OPDs at Mayo Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, Children Hospital and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital had not been functioning. “Some senior doctors are sending an inaccurate message to the government that the YDA has failed,” said an office bearer of the YDA, speaking on the condition of annonymity.
YDA Media Secretary Dr Mudassir Razzaq Khan said, “YDA is not going on strike to spare the patients the inconvenience. The government will apparently take up the matter once it is totally out of hand. There has been no progress in the implementation of the service structure and young doctors are being victimised.”
A Health Department official said, “A proposal to place attendance registers in public hospitals is being considered. Magistrates have been deputed with police officials at public hospitals so that the system runs smoothly.”
Dr Ahsan Kazmi of Jinnah Hospital has been asked to report to the Health Department today. Dr Kazmi was working at the gynecology ward on Thursday when Medical Superintendent Dr Fazlur Rehman came to the ward with the police. Dr Kazmi asked Dr Rehman to take police out of the ward immediately. Dr Rehman had reported Dr Kazmi as absent from duty on Thursday. Dr Rehman could not be reached for a comment.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 19th, 2013.