Doctors to shut OPDs, private clinics tomorrow

Karachi
Doctors, general physicians and health practitioners will neither attend out-patient departments nor clinics on Monday, February 2, to protest against the rampant killings, threats, extortion and harassment in Karachi on Monday, said Dr Azeemuddin, the president of Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) in Karachi.
Talking to newsmen on Saturday, he expressed his support for the strike call given for Monday by doctors and appealed to all health professionals, physicians and general practitioners to keep their clinics closed and boycott out-patient departments against the unabated killing of members of their fraternity.
In this regard, doctors across the city will observe Monday as a black day and pray and hold vigils for their slain colleagues. He said the civil society will also be urged to join the protests and raise a voice for the protection of most literate and peaceful segment of the society.
The call for closure of clinics at all public and private hospitals was also given by the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) earlier in the month and the Private Hospitals and Clinics Association.
Protesting health associations warned that if doctors continued to be killed in the city, they will be compelled to go on a week-long strike of clinics besides organising rallies and protests in the city.
However, they assured that emergencies and provision of in-patient health care will not be affected due to the protests and boycotts.
Dr Azeemuddin said doctors were being killed continuously since 2010 and so far the 54 had lost their lives in Karachi. However, he said, so far not a single killer of any doctor had been caught or punished.
“A license to kill has been given to extortionists, sectarian and target killers to hunt and assassinate doctors and medical professionals in the city”, he said. “Karachi is at the mercy of killers who are free to gun down anyone.”
He said a large number of doctors had quit their lucrative but important posts while many had closed their clinics and were moving abroad or relocating,” he claimed. “The sense of insecurity is so high that they don’t even attend phone calls or travel within the city.”
Dr Azeemuddin said unless killers of doctors were not arrested on priority basis and hanged through speedy trials, the environment of fear will not dissipate. “The time is not far when people will look for specialists and consultants and they will not find any in Karachi. The killers should be tried in military courts,” he said.
He said PIMA fully endorsed the demand for Rs10 million compensation for doctors killed in the city and provision of arms licences to them.