Doctors’ strike enters 10th day, govt fails in getting breakthrough

Rawalpindi : The young doctors, nurses and paramedics did not serve in outpatient departments of public sector hospitals in the Punjab province for the 10th consecutive day on Saturday as the government did not come up with success in convincing them to resume their duties.

Doctors and paramedics have been on strike at the OPDs for the last 10 days as a protest against the government’s plan of implementing Medical Teaching Institutions (MTI) Reforms Act. Thousands of patients in hospitals across the province including the three teaching hospitals in town including Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Holy Family Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital had to suffer a lot because of absence of young doctors from OPDs.

The Specialised Healthcare & Medical Education Department though constituted a committee to hold dialogues with doctors on the proposed MTI Reforms Act but the Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab rejected the committee’s constitution terming it ‘partial’.

The health employees alliance formed by the YDA, nurses and paramedics association has decided to not to deliberate with a partial committee formed by the government instead we would continue strike in OPDs, said YDA President at Benazir Bhutto Hospital Dr. Rana Azeem while talking to ‘The News’ on Saturday.

To a query, he said that senior officials at the Punjab health ministry are spreading rumours that the YDA has entered in dialogue with the government but all this is baseless. Neither central leadership nor regional office holders of YDA Punjab have contacted the government officials for any dialogue, he said.

Giving the YDA’s stance, he alleged the provincial health minister and her team is not serious in resolving the issue in a positive manner as constituting a committee of doctors of the government’s choice would not convince doctors to come to the table. Spreading rumours would not cause split among doctors and paramedics on strike, he said.

The public sector hospitals have been operating OPDs with the help of consultants, senior registrars and doctors employed at the hospitals to accommodate patients at the OPDs. When asked, Dr. Azeem said only five to 10 per cent of the total patients visiting OPDs at the hospitals are being facilitated.

Vice Chancellor at Rawalpindi Medical University and Chief Allied Hospitals Professor Dr. Muhammad Umar when contacted by ‘The News’ on Friday evening said he has been informed by the provincial health minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid that a dialogue is in progress with the doctors on strike and the issue would be resolved soon.

It is failure on the part of the government that even 10 days after the strike, it could not convince doctors and paramedics to serve in OPDs, said Ejaz Gondal, aged 54 who could not get himself examined at BBH OPD.

He, like many other patients said the strike for 10 days in OPDs at hospitals is a shame for both the striking staff and the government.