LAHORE/RAWALPINDI: As the Punjab chapter of the Association of Young Physicians (YDA) threatened Thursday by closing internal services in all public sector hospitals throughout the province from next Monday, the Department of Health issued an order to hire doctors about daily salaries to maintain completely functional health facilities, in addition to the end of the services of 12 younger doctors.
Health authorities have already canceled the leaves of all doctors and nurses in the province.
With a prester in Lahore, Yda Punjab leaders announced their agitation province in response to the terminations and suspensions of young doctors and nurses by the health authorities, saying that they were not afraid of the punishments, victimization and arrests of the departmental by the police.
Meanwhile, the superior representatives of the Punjab Nurses Association (PNA) and the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) also appeared in support of the YDA.
Previously, young doctors closed OPD services in different public sector hospitals in the province during the last 10 days, while the Government responded by finishing the services of 17 doctors and nurses to deny the treatment of patients.
Yda Punjab warns about the closure of internal services as of Monday
The president of Yda Punjab, Dr. Salman Haseb, told journalists on Thursday that the Lahore Police presented two cases against more than 400 employees of government hospitals that peacefully protested against the subcontracting of health centers.
He said the police allegedly tortured and arrested many employees, including YDA leaders.
He also condemned the actions of the Department of Health, saying that employees reserved the right to present a protest for their “legitimate demands” under the law of land.
Yda’s leaders and nurses urged the three times former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Maryam Nawaz to intervene and solve the problem on the table.
They alleged that some elements in the Department of Health were deceiving the Punjab government by distorting facts regarding the demands of employees who protest.
They said they were ready for negotiations only with government representatives. To a question, Yda Punjab president said that all employees in the health sector, including doctors, nurses and paramedics, have decided to close the internal services in all state hospitals on the next Monday, if their demands were not accepted.
There are reports that the Punjab Health Department has completed the services of more than 30 young doctors and nurses so far for closing OPD services in state hospitals and denying patients treatment. A senior official of the University of Medicine Rawalpindi (RMU) said Sunrise That the RMU convened a meeting of teachers and the administrations of the Holy Family Hospital (HFH), the Benazir Bhutto hospital (BBH) and the Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital (RTH) to deal with the situation after the YDA announcement to close the interior services in Punjab hospitals.
He says that Tehsils doctors have been taken to administer the OPDs in the main hospitals and disciplinary measures have been taken against the local YDA leadership for not performing tasks.
On the other hand, the president of the Rawalpindi chapter of YDA, Dr. Aarif Aziz, says that his services were completed by the administration of BBH and the Secretary General of the Association, Dr. Fakhar, has been suspended from the service.
He says that YDA’s general meeting has been called Friday (today) to mark a plan to deal with the new situation. However, he says, no emergency strike and other rooms were observed in any hospital in Rawalpindi.
He says that doctors protest against the “incorrect decision” of the government and, instead of victimizing them, the government must sit on the table and solve the problem.
“We do not demand wages, but we are struggling to save the public sector hospitals of the contractors,” he says.
He says that subcontracting means that patients will be deprived of affordable treatment. He added that medical education and training will also be negatively affected and the employment and working conditions of doctors will deteriorate due to subcontracting health centers.
Posted in Dawn, May 2, 2025
