SAHIWAL: The Sahiwal Medical College (SMC) academic council has recommended surrendering services of the medical superintendent and two other senior doctors of the DHQ Teaching Hospital to the health department.

The decision was taken in response to a continuous row between the Young Doctors Association (YDA) and the management of the teaching hospital.

SMC Principal Prof Zafar H Tanveer told Dawn a letter had been written to the higher authorities for surrendering the services of DHQ Teaching Hospital’s Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Abdul Aziz, Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Dr Ejaz Awan and gynecologist Dr Rubina Zaib.

The emergency meeting of the academic council was called to address 11-point charter of demands of the YDA which it presented during its three-day protest.

During its protest, the YDA had presented 11 points, pointing out issues as well as their demands, including unavailability of quality medicines, MS’s alleged misconduct and lobbying against senior teaching faculty, his misreporting and failure to address reported issues of drug reactions in various wards, non-sharing of purchased medicines budget, continuous victimisation of five office-bearers of the YDA at the hospital, repairing and maintenance of hospital equipment specially X-ray machine and threatening behaviour of the hospital administration.

The academic council unanimously decided to surrender services of the MS, SMO and gynecologist to the health department and immediate withdrawal of MS’s order, seeking explanation from five TDA office-bearers -- Dr Shoaib, Dr Shahzad, Dr Asim, Dr Faiq and Dr Asadullah -- and withholding their salary.

The academic council recommended that the teaching faculty would not work under the supervision of MS Dr Abdul Aziz Sheikh and it would not attend any meeting, headed by the district administration, regarding day-to-day affairs of the SMC.

“The academic council, being a statuary body, will run the SMC’s day-to-day affairs,” he added.

Academic council secretary Dr Raees said a time-bound framework would be developed in the long run to settle all other matters raised by the YDA.

DHQ Hospital MS Dr Abdul Aziz Sheikh said all the YDA demands and allegations were baseless and contradictory to the reality on ground.

JAILED: Anti-Terrorism Court Special Judge Muhammad Shabbir Awan awarded eight and a half years imprisonment and Rs250,000 fine to Hafiz Muhammad Usman, son of Muhammad Ishaq, for having connections with the banned outfits.

He was also involved in printing hate material and facilitating and collaborating with many terrorists belonging to the banned outfits.

The convict would have to undergo two years more imprisonment in case of failure to pay fine.

Hafiz Usman was arrested under in an operation conducted by law enforcement agencies, including the Counter Terrorism Department. He was booked in many cases by the CTD.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2017