LAHORE: Torture of a senior registrar and misbehaviour with a professor of the King Edward Medical University/Mayo Hospital allegedly by some members of the Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab has led to unrest at the teaching institute.

As the YDA intruders also locked office of the professor for a few hours, several doctors of the institute have joined hands to extend full support to the ‘victimised colleagues’ to initiate strict disciplinary and legal action against the ‘assailants’.

The tension has mounted as both sides have threatened each other with aggressive steps. The doctors said the YDA, which was formed for the rights of the young health professionals, was heading towards its collapse since it started patronising aggressive people in the association. They said many such incidents had occurred in the past but nothing was done to disown the guilty medics.

The incident took place a few days ago at the Paediatric Medical Unit-II when two house officers, Dr Aizazul Haq and Dr Dilawar Khan of the department, along with 10 members of the YDA, allegedly tortured Senior Registrar Dr Yasir Zulfiqar Bajwa for scolding them for being absent from duty. Dr Yasir suffered injuries on his face.

The angry intruders also allegedly abused Prof Dr Talat Seyal, head of the department, threatened and locked her office which was opened after 48 hours. The mess created by the YDA also caused suspension of MBBS Final Year paediatric exam for four hours.

To protest the extreme step by the YDA men and the two HOs, all the medics of the two departments Paediatric Unit I and II have announced en-bloc resignation from their services if the criminal and disciplinary action was not taken against the guilty doctors.

“We the doctors of department of paediatrics medicine Unit-I and Unit II request you to take immediate legal action against Dr Aizaz and Dr Dilawar who have physically manhandled one of our senior medical officers Dr Yasir Zulfiqar and grossly misbehaved with Prof Dr Talat Seyal and other faculty members,” they wrote in a letter to the Mayo Hospital’s medical superintendent.

The doctors also alleged in the letter that the visitors kept the office of Prof Dr Talat “under siege for 48 hours” which was a highly condemnable act.

Uneasy calm at Mayo Hospital after ‘assault’

“This sordid incident has brought bad name to the institute and demoralised the team of doctors working in the department,” read the letter.

Demanding registration of a case, the doctors threatened that they would observe complete strike and also tender en-bloc resignations if the action was not taken.

Prof Dr Akmal Laeeq, head of the paediatric medicine Unit-I, and Prof Dr Talal Seyal also wrote to the vice chancellor of the KEMU to take up the matter in the academic council meeting of the varsity.

The teaching doctors informed the KEMU VC that the incident of gross misconduct and manhandling by two house officers of paeds medicine Unit-II had already been brought into your notice.

“It is therefore requested to please include it in the agenda of the forthcoming academic council meeting for discussion,” the letter reads.

Prof Talal also informed the MS of the Mayo Hospital about the incident and demanded action against the guilty doctors. She alleged in the letter that the two HOs came to her office along with their 10 other friends, shouted, abused, threatened and locked her office. Then they went to the Isolation Ward at the 4th Floor where they physically abused and threatened Dr Yasir Zulfiqar.

Dr Yasir also filed an application with the Gowalmandi police station (along with his medical report) for lodging criminal case against the guilty doctors.

Dr Matloob of YDA (Mayo Hospital) denied allegations of association’s involvement in torturing the senior registrar saying Dr Yasir was deliberately dragging the association in the incident. He said Dr Yasir wanted to involve the YDA for criminal case against the HOs who tortured him.

“The YDA will resist a criminal case against any doctor,” he said, adding that Dr Yasir was twisting facts as he had suffered a minor injury on the basis of which no criminal case could be lodged.

Dr Matloob said the YDA tried to resolve the issue between the two sides. It asked Dr Yasir to spare his junior colleagues in case they tender apology but the senior registrar was committed to lodging criminal case against his rivals, he said.

As for misbehaviour with the professor of the same unit by the YDA men, he said he himself was leading his colleagues who locked her office. Dr Matloob defended his act saying Prof Talat had refused to issue experience certificates to the non Kemcolian trainees. He said the YDA had repeatedly asked her that every doctor or trainee who joined the institute should be considered Kemcolian but she had refused.

“On finding her unmoved, we locked her office for 48 hours,” he said.

Published in Dawn February 21th , 2015

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