Young doctors to stop work in emergency services if demands are not met within 48 hours
Health Desk :
QUETTA: Young Doctors Association (YDA) Balochistan has threatened to stop work in the emergency services if the government failed to meet their demands. Police shifted all arrested young doctors and paramedics to district jail Quetta.
“We will stop working in the emergency services after 48 hours”, Dr. Hafeez Mandokhail, a leader of the YDA said. He demanded of the government to consider the demands of the protesting doctors. YDA leaders addressed a press conference at Quetta Press Club.
However, the Spokesman health department has termed the strike and boycott of young doctors as unjustified. “Government is serious about solution of doctors issues”, he said in a statement issued to the press.
Secretary health department Noor ul Haq Baloch thus mentioned that police had arrested the doctors and it was not the health department to do so.
Patients are the worst sufferers of YDA’s boycott
Patients in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan remained the worst sufferers of doctors’ boycotts. “We have come to doctor from Pishin but the OPD is giving a deserted look”, Niamatullah, an attendant of the patient lamented. He said the government and doctors must have mercy on poor patients coming to civil hospitals and Bolan medical complex hospital Quetta for medical treatment.
A woman from Pishin died in hospital
A woman who was brought from Pishin, 50 km from Quetta city, died at the hospital. Taking the woman’s body back, the woman’s son, Abdul Aziz, said the hospital was aware that people were dying because of a lack of treatment.
YDA continues to protest
Despite chilly weather, the protesting doctors kept continued protest in support of their demands. However, police launched a crackdown and picked up 19 protesting doctors and paramedics.
The stance of health department
Balochistan Secondary Health Secretary Noorul Haq Baloch termed the doctors’ protest as unwarranted and said that not all young doctors were involved in the protest.
He alleged that in the name of lack of facilities in hospitals, these people want to make two demands, one of which is to make them permanent without examination of Public Service Commission and the other is to give them duty at Sheikh Zayed Hospital on the outskirts of the city. Noor-ul-Haq Baloch said that young doctors could not be made permanent without passing the examination of the Public Service Commission.
