RAWALPINDI: Young Doctors Association (YDA) on Thursday staged a protest demonstration demanding a pay raise and better service structure.

More than 250 doctors participated in the protest held on Murree Road in front of the Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH). Dr Haider Akhter, Dr Umer Channa and Dr Saeed Cheema led the protest. The road was blocked during the protest from 11am to 1pm.

The participants were carrying placards inscribed with their demands and chanting slogans against the provincial government for failing to raise their salaries.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Haider Akhter said government hospitals in the city were being run without necessary equipment and the doctors found it difficult to diagnose the patients.

He said the Punjab government made tall claims to improve the health facilities but patients were facing problems in getting medicines from the hospitals.

He said the provincial government spent money on road projects and left hospitals unattended. He said the doctors’ service structure was yet to be improved despite the assurances made by the adviser to the chief minister.

“In BBH, only six private guards are deployed. A new emergency block was constructed 10 months ago but there is no bed, machinery and doctors in the building,” he said.

Meanwhile, the patients suffered a lot due to the protest. The hospital administration had to make arrangements to check the outdoor patients but there was a shortage of doctors.

The traffic remained suspended on Murree Road from Naz Cinema Chowk to Chandni Chowk for two to three hours. The motorists between the twin cities had to use Khanna Road during the protest.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2016