Quetta Police, doctors clashed, 10 young doctors injured
Syed Ali Shah, Manan Mandokhail:
QUETTA: At least 10 young doctors were injured during a clash with police on Wednesday evening. The doctors wanted to enter the Red Zone near Chief Minister’s Secretariat when clashed with baton-wielding policemen.
“Police have used force against us and our 10 colleagues injured”, Dr. Tahir Musakhail, the Vice-President Young Doctors Association (YDA) said. The injured doctors were rushed to civil hospital Quetta for medical treatment.
Police arrest 20 doctors
Abdul Haq Umrani, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Quetta said that police have arrested 20 protesting doctors. He said the doctors have been shifted to a nearby police station and legal action would be taken against them.
Police arrest 20 young doctors during the protest
Police also arrested around 20 doctors and whisked them away in prisoners vans.
Balochistan Health Minister, Syed Ehsan Shah in a response to the incident said that the government had held a series of negotiations with protesting doctors. “We accepted their all demands and there is no justification of protests and boycott of hospitals”, Mr. Shah told reporters in Balochistan’s Dalbandin town.
YDA has been protesting in support of its demands for last more than three months. It had also boycotted OPDs in all government-run hospitals of the province. However, recently, young doctors have established medical setups outside their wards in civil hospital Quetta for the treatment of outdoor patients.
Patients remain the worst sufferers of doctors strike
Patients across the province remained the worst sufferers of doctors’ strike. Deserving and poor patients have been OPDs of government-run hospitals and facing difficulties in getting medical treatment. Balochistan government and doctors have held repeated rounds of talks to end the boycott.
However, deadlock still persists despite repeated talks between the provincial government and protesting doctors. Doctors have accused the government of privatizing government-run hospitals. The charge was vehemently denied by the Balochistan government. “We have no intention to privatize hospitals”, Noor ul Haq Baloch, Secretary Health Balochistan said.
Mr. Baloch said the government has already accepted most of the demands of the doctors and that there was no justification to boycott hospitals across the province.
