Services Hospital emergency remains closed on second day 

LAHORE: The Young Doctors Association (YDA), Punjab, has held poor emergency patients hostage and kept emergency services closed in Services Hospital, Lahore, on the second consecutive day on Tuesday to save corrupt elements on charges of alleged corruption after a crackdown by officials of Anti-Corruption Department in its vain attempt to arrest the culprits.

The young doctors forcibly closed the emergency ward and Out-Patient Department of Services Hospital on Tuesday following closure of emergency ward the previous day to prevent arrest of YDA, Punjab, central leaders Dr Atif Chaudhry, Senior Vice President, and Dr Salman Haseeb, Information Secretary, by the officials of anti-corruption department.

It caused tremendous problems for serious patients as theattendants of the patients were forced to take their patients to other hospitals. The YDA, however, failed to forcibly shut the emergency and OPD services of other hospitals in Lahore, although reports from some districts in Punjab suggested partial strike in emergency and outdoor wards in hospitals.

The YDA leaders claimed that the government and Secretary Health had been using mean tactics to intimidate the young doctors to stop them from starting a one bed, one patient campaign against the government. The YDA has put a precondition of Secretary Health’s resignation for resumption of emergency services in Services Hospital.

The anti-corruption department has issued details of under investigation doctors and officials of Services Hospital wherein 17 administrative and other doctors of grade-17 to grade-19 and officials at different levels in hospital were allegedly involved in embezzlement of Rs 75 million in payment of cafeteria bills from hospital’s kitty and purchase of medicines and fuel, etc. The Assistant Director Anti-Corruption and Circle Officer conducted an inquiry and got an FIR under section 49/16 registered against the accused.