As the young doctors’ strike in Rawalpindi entered its seventh day on Monday, their colleagues in the capital are set to join the protest over salaries from March 14.
“From March 14 we will close down Out Patient Departments (OPDs) if the government failed to meet our demands,” Dr Mohammad Ajmal, president of the Young Doctors Association in the capital, told Dawn.
The demands include inducting all doctors in BPS-18, a pay increase from Rs22,000 to Rs70,000 for medical officers, and regularisation of doctors working on contractual basis for the last several years.
“We have forwarded our demands to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Chief Justice of Pakistan, federal minister for health and the secretary,” Dr Ajmal said. He said 350 young doctors were working on contract for almost six years despite regularisation of several other federal government employees.
In the capital, around 150 young doctors are working in the Federal Government Services Hospital, 300 in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and 25 are attached with the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine. The doctors’ protest in the capital will start with wearing black armbands, one-hour token strike in three days’ time before March 14.
Director General Health Dr Asad Hafeez denied receiving “anything in writing” from the doctors. But he added that the health ministry would ‘sincerely’ look into their concerns. When asked about young doctors going on strike on March 14, he said: “The ministry will ensure that all federal health system should run without any break.”
Meanwhile, in Rawalpindi the young doctors on strike set up medical camps to ease the sufferings of patients. Patients were seen shuttling between the hospitals and the camps. The doctors of Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) established the camp outside the hospital on the footpath.
Their colleagues on strike in the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital and Holy Family Hospital (HFH) established the camps in the parking lots. Every medical camp had eight counters, including medicine, surgery, gynae, children, ENT, dentistry and general.
The trainee doctors examined the patients and referred them to hospitals for medical tests. “We are also providing medicines free of cost,” said Dr Mohammad Haroon, YDA Punjab chairman. He said some pharmaceutical companies and philanthropists provided them medicines.
But the patients coming to Rawalpindi’s three public hospitals continued to face difficulties in getting treatment. Patients visiting the OPDs were informed by young doctors or ward boys about the strike and the medical camps.
“Some said doctors would check patients inside and some told me to go the camp outside for getting treatment,” Faiz Ahmed, father of a patient, told Dawn outside the BBH. For a urine test, Mr Ahmed said he was sent back to the hospital.
Dr Haroon said the young doctors did not want to create problems for the people visiting the government-run hospitals. “We will continue strike till our demands are met but we will also keep providing people treatment at these camps,” he said.
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