Doctors protest hits patients, public

LAHORE
The Young Doctors Association (YDA), Punjab, has once again exposed its destructive self as it launched a protest movement with a virtual closure of provincial metropolis on Tuesday after the Punjab government ignored their warning for not implementing the service structure for doctors in the province.
The Punjab government took the YDA threat of protest lightly following which the young doctors punished patients in hospitals and general public on roads. The government has neither implemented the demands of the young doctors nor tried to engage them in a meaningful dialogue after YDA’s call for protest almost a couple of weeks ago that led to YDA’s strike in hospitals and blockade of roads on major thoroughfares in the City. Similarly, the YDA activists held protests in all districts of Punjab.
The government has, however, completed a formality of holding a round of negotiations with the YDA representatives on a night on the eve of protest day, which remained inconclusive.
Earlier in the day, the young doctors of Mayo Hospital, De’Montmorency/Punjab Dental Hospital and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital blocked The Mall by holding protest demonstration at Chairing Cross in front of Punjab Assembly, young doctors of Services Hospital and Punjab Institute of Cardiology blocked Jail Road, young doctors from Children’s Hospital and Lahore General Hospital blocked Ferozepur Road, while young doctors from Shaikh Zayed Hospital and Jinnah Hospital staged a sit-in on Canal Road, which virtually crippled the traffic flow and caused tremendous problems for the commuters on the roads.
The young doctors’ strike caused a great deal of problems for the patients in hospitals as OPDs remained shut and minor operations were postponed. The poor patients, who had come from far-off districts, were the worst affected as they had incurred a lot of expenses only to get disappointment over denial of treatment in public sector hospitals of Lahore.
Besides, the closure of roads created massive inconvenience for the people, who remained stuck in traffic for hours, consumed a lot of fuel and reached late on their destinations. Besides, a lot of ambulances were also seen stuck in traffic and found it extremely difficult to make their way to emergencies of nearby hospitals in Lahore, which endangered the lives of the serious patients.
The YDA leaders including Dr Hamid Butt, Dr Amir Bandesha, Dr Ajmal, Dr Adnan, Dr Abid Abbas, Dr Umer Shah, Dr Asif, Dr Usman Maan, Dr Khuzema and others led the protest at different locations. The young doctors were carrying banners and placards inscribed with their demands and chanting slogans against the government for depriving doctors of their rights and condemned it for not implementing service structure despite agreement on the issue two-and-a-half years ago. Several young doctors, especially female doctors, were also busy in taking selfies just for fun and joy, though at the cost of problems for the patients and general public in Lahore.
The young doctors raised their demands of implementation of service structure, promotion and increase in salaries of doctors and award of pay to unpaid postgraduate trainees. Besides, the YDA leaders also raised issues of healthcare in hospitals such as supply of substandard medicines, out-of-order machines and equipments as well as lack of several other facilities that hampered the delivery of quality healthcare to the patients in the hospitals.
They YDA leaders announced to hold protest as per schedule, while next strategy will be revealed during a press conference.