YDA protests against PIC faculty member

LAHORE:The members of Young Doctors Association (YDA), PIC chapter protested against altercation between a senior registrar and an assistant professor in Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) Lahore and stopped working on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference, President YDA Ijaz Kharal alleged that a member of the PIC faculty crossed all limits and tortured him. There is a severe shortage of doctors and nurses in PIC, as 60 medical officer posts are lying vacant, and more than 100 nurses' posts are lying vacant. More than 150 paramedical seats are still vacant. In the government of former Punjab caretaker Chief Minister, a total of 50 more beds have been installed in the emergency ward, and two new angiography machines were installed but the staff was not recruited. There is a severe shortage of medicines in PIC.

"The assistant professor, who was recruited against merit, tortured me," he alleged, while accusing that the chairman board had threatened to sack him. The Echo machine has not been functioning properly for 6 months. He demanded that the government should send the assistant professor back to DG Khan. The YDA Central President Dr Shoaib Niazi said that an assistant professor has grabbed the collar of a duty doctor in broad daylight.

If the matter is not investigated within 48 hours, there will be protests across Punjab. PIC Medical Superintendent Dr Shoaib Aslam has said, “We are fully investigating this unfortunate incident.”

Legal action will be taken against those responsible. PIC is currently fully functional. There is no shortage of medicines in PIC. Under the Punjab Chief Minister's "Free Medicines at Your Doorstep programme", three months' duration of medicines are being delivered to homes. Medicines are being provided to more than 1,500 patients in OPDs daily. Emergency patients are being provided immediate treatment and care, including life-saving medicines. Primary angioplasty, angiography and bypass surgeries are continuing without interruption. On the instructions of the Chief Minister of Punjab, the MS said, adding the complaint counter is fully functional in the hospital for the convenience of patients.