The Punjab government has finally decided to terminate the services of young doctors for their ‘unwanted and ugly activities’ in the name of agitation and blacklist them for post-graduation training in any local or foreign medical institution, Dawn has learnt.
Use of force against doctors, crackdown, criminal proceedings, imposition of section 144 at public health facilities and arrests under 16 MPO are the options in hand after March 21, a deadline given to Young Doctors Association’s Punjab leaders and other protesting doctors to “mend their ways or face wrath of the government”.
Also, the government has decided to get the hostels of medical colleges and hospitals vacated from YDA office bearers by force and ban their entry to any public institution of the province permanently.
An insider said this was what appeared to be ultimate stand of the Punjab government at a meeting with principals and medical superintendents of all teaching and district hospitals of the province at the Punjab Civil Secretariat on Monday.
Health Secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad, CPSP vice-president Prof Dr Khalid Masood Gondal and senior officials of the health department attended the meeting with Health Parliamentary Secretary Dr Saeed Elahi in the chair.
The insider said Elahi read out government’s final decision to the meeting and conveyed the message to deal with the doctors challenging government’s writ with an iron hand.
Principals and medical superintendents of the health facilities were given lists of ‘miscreants’ including YDA Punjab office bearers and those who denied healthcare services and access to patients to public hospitals.
The insider said the list was compiled on the basis of the information provided by law enforcement agencies, health department and administrations of the health institutions. Ten to 15 doctors from each public health institution or hospital were on the list for their “involvement in illegal and unethical activities” during what the health department said so-called YDA movement.
The health department directed the heads of medical institutions to hold academic council meetings of their institutions on Tuesday (today), prepare cases of the listed doctors and refer these to the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) and Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) for de-registration of their post-graduation training and blacklisting them.
After de-registration, the ‘miscreants’ would have to move the court or leave the medial profession forever. The said cases would also be sent at the same time to the Punjab health department for termination of these doctors’ services and initiation of other proceedings against them according to the ‘scale’ of their offences.
According to the insider, the health department directed the principals of all medical colleges to write letters to the parents of listed ‘miscreants’ and YDA office bearers on Tuesday (today) to intimate them about their “illegal activities” and the action planned by the Punjab government against them.
Show-cause notices would be issued the same day (today) to protesting doctors identified in the lists to inform them about the charges ‘framed’ against them like halting critical care to patients in emergencies and locking operation theatres during two-week long strike announced by YDA. Action would be taken against them after March 21.
Prof Gondal assured the meeting on behalf of the CPSP that stern action would be taken against the ‘miscreants’ and no one of them would be given post-graduation training in any medical institution of the country.
The meeting was informed about two senior doctors of Lahore General Hospital and a teacher of KEMU who provided financial assistance to YDA and provoked it against the Punjab government.
Some principals informed the meeting that most YDA leaders, who did MBBS from Central Asian States or local private medical colleges, had no respect for teachers and supervisors. For example, the meeting was told, YDA Punjab president Dr Hamid Butt did MBBS from a Central Asian State. He recently phoned principal of the Shaikh Zayed Medical College, Rahim Yar Khan, abused him for allegedly creating hurdles in young doctors’ protest movement and threatened him with consequences.
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