Many hospitals without doctors as YDA strike continues on third day

LAHORE: The strike by the Young Doctors Association (YDA) continues on its third day in many cities of Punjab.

Following successful negotiations with the Punjab health minister, the protesting doctors agreed to start working in the emergency wards of hospitals. Further negotiations are expected today afternoon.

Reports stated on Wednesday that doctors are on strike at Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital in Gujrat, and have boycotted the emergency and out-patient departments.

Similarly, in Rahim Yar Khan and Faisalabad, YDA members are absent from duty from the Sheikh Zayed Hospital and government hospitals; leaving patients on their own.

A spokesperson of Sheikh Zayed Hospital said they have called in doctors from other hospitals to fill the gap.

On Wednesday, at least four people were reported to have died at Allied Hospital, Faisalabad owing to the YDA strike.

Moreover, the strike had caused deaths of two patients in Jinnah and Services hospitals of Lahore, it was reported on the first day of the strike on Tuesday.

But the administrations of the hospitals denied the occurrence of any such incident.

Besides, it was not ascertained whether the patients were brought dead or died at the medical facilities.

CM Shehbaz takes notice

Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of the deaths that have occurred at Allied Hospital of Faisalabad during the two days of the strike.

According to hospital sources, has ordered an inquiry committee be formed and report over incident be submitted within 24 hours.

The strike

The doctors are demanding that the provincial health secretary, Najam Ahmad Shah, be removed from his position and the Central Induction Policy, introduced by him, be revoked. They believe that since the health secretary is an engineer he is unable to relate to or understand issues of the health department.

According to the protesting doctors, Central Induction Policy discriminates between the ones who have graduated from government institutes and those who have received their education from private ones. Since the majority of the doctors have graduated from private medical colleges, they want the policy to be revoked and an equal system be set for all.