YDA rejects enforcement of Essential Services Act, LHC moved against strike

LAHORE: The Young doctors, on the call of Young Doctors’ Association (YDA), Punjab, on Friday, continued the strike in Outdoor Patient Departments (OPDs) of public sector hospitals in the Punjab for service structure.

The strike in outdoor wards continued on 12th successive day to protest against, what doctors call, the government’s indifference towards their demand of service structure. The strike has caused immense hardships for patients and their attendants, causing increase in the number of patients in emergency wards.

The doctors' association rejected the enforcement Essential Services Act terming it as a blackmailing tactic.

On Thursday, the Punjab government decided to enforce the Pakistan Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1952 from today in a bid to foil the ongoing strike by the doctors in public hospitals across the province.

Under the Act, the Punjab government, through the supervising officer, the secretary Health Punjab in this case, would be able to take action against such doctors as failed to perform their duties. The maximum punishment under the Act was one year imprisonment.

The provincial government also mulling to deploy police at OPDs of the public health facilities from today.

Strike challenged in LHC

Meanwhile, the ongoing strike in the country's most populous province has been challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC). The petitioner, Azhar Siddique Advocate, pleaded the court to take strict notice of the doctor's attitude as it was against the Constitution and the basic rights.

It also requested the LHC to cancel the licenses of the protesting doctors and held them responsible for the deaths (if any) occurred due to their strike.