YDA Punjab boycotts services of indoor wards

LAHORE: The Young Doctors Association (YDA), Punjab, boycotted the services of indoor wards in all hospitals as it was holiday in Out-Patient Departments (OPDs) on Sunday. 

The young doctors are observing an ‘unannounced strike’ in emergency wards of Services Hospital, Punjab Institute of Cardiology and Jinnah Hospital, although YDA, Punjab, has publicly announced providing emergency cover during the ongoing strike. However, young doctors day by day are joining their duties in all hospitals to avoid job dismissal. 

The young doctors in Mayo Hospital, Lady Wellington Hospital, Lady Aitchison Hospital, Punjab Dental Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore General Hospital, The Children’s Hospital, Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital, Nawaz Sharif Hospital, Yakki Gate, Government Said Mitha Hospital, Government Shahdara Hospital, Gulab Devi Hospital in Lahore continued treatment services in emergency and indoor wards of these hospitals.

The Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education (SHC&ME) Department has placed the services of Dr Shabbir Hussain, Emergency Medical Officer, Jinnah Hospital, Dr Mehmood-ul-Hasan, Medical Officer, Services Hospital, and two MOs Dr Zahid Ali and Dr Qasas Ahmad from Children’s Hospital, Multan, at the disposal of Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department.

Dr Shabbir Hussain from Jinnah Hospital is facing grave charges of creating disruption of patients care, hampering the hospital working and causing grave threat to human lives through agitation by creating law and order situation in Jinnah Hospital repeatedly from August 2 to 5, 2017.

It is also learnt that the a group of 20 to 25 young doctors attacked the office of Medical Superintendent of Jinnah Hospital and hurled abuses in his office. Besides, the young doctors also hampered the process of walk-in-interviews of doctors on ad hoc posts and threatened them to stay away. However, the Medical Superintendent Dr Sohail Saqlain called the police and conducted the interviews of the candidates.

In this backdrop, Principal Allama Iqbal Medical College (AIMC) Prof Dr Rashid Zia immediately terminated Dr Hammad, Post Graduate (PG) Trainee in ENT Unit-II, Jinnah Hospital, for misbehaving with Medical Superintendent.

Besides, the SHC&ME Department terminated the services of seven Medical Officers including five doctors from Jinnah Hospital Dr Hafiz Sultan, Dr Raja Omer Fiaz, Dr Akmal Khan, Dr Hassan Bakhsh and Dr Mehmood-ul-Haq, and two doctors from Children’s Hospital, Multan, Dr Khalil Surani and Dr Rao Yasir Khan due to absence from duty and involvement in YDA’s strike.

The SHC&ME Department has invited applications for recruitment on posts that fell vacant due to absence and sacking of PG residents in teaching hospitals owing to YDA’s ongoing strike. “The interested candidates may apply through online portal for PG slots in teaching hospitals across Punjab,” according to the decision taken by PG Induction Committee, which further asked the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) to finalise the applications by August 9.

Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan, has awarded regular House Job to five House Officers, who were working on honorary basis, in place of those HOs, who were terminated for taking part in the YDA’s ongoing strike. Similarly, Lahore General Hospital also appointed four medical graduates as House Officer for three months with immediate effect. The Services Hospital also posted one house office against an available Paid House Job vacancy. The Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital, Gujrat, has also appointed House Officers against Paid House Job following termination of five HOs for participating in the YDA’s strike.