GHA’s sit-in enters 4th day

LAHORE:The Young Doctors Association (YDA), Punjab, has announced to withdraw OPD services from Lahore General Hospital and Jinnah Hospital with effect from Friday (today) as part of their protest against privatisation of government health facilities.

The Grand Health Alliance (GHA) continued its protest and sit-in in front of Punjab Assembly on fourth day on Thursday, calling upon government to withdraw its plan to outsource Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Rural Health Centers (RHCs) in primary and secondary healthcare as well as Jinnah Hospital among tertiary care hospitals. A protester also suffered a heart attack during the sit-in, and he was immediately shifted to the hospital.

The YDA Punjab President Dr Shoaib Niazi said that Jinnah Hospital and Lahore General Hospital's OPDs will be closed down on Friday (today). "If the government does not come to a table talk, it means it has no answer," he said. He said that Punjab's workers have raised their voices within the scope of law, adding that the people are facing the problems in the education sector but they will not tolerate the problem of health sector.

The central leader of Lady Health Workers Rukhsana Anwar said that if privatization was not stopped, they will boycott the polio campaign. Dr Salman Haseeb, central leader of GHA, said that if the government does not reverse its decision, they will expand their protest and withdraws services from more than 300 hospitals in the province. "We will knock every door for justice," he said, adding however that they will continue to provide services in emergency wards.