RAWALPINDI: The Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) medical superintendent has been reinstated by the Punjab government after protests by the Young Doctors Association’s (YDA) Rawalpindi chapter.

Dr Tariq Masood Khan Niazi was suspended after a telephone conversation between him and Punjab Law Miniter Mohammad Basharat Raja was leaked in December 2018.

The conversation appeared to reveal that Dr Niazi refused an order from the law minister to post Dr Areeba Abbasi, daughter of imprisoned PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi, to the hospital department of her choice.

Dr Niazi was suspended on Feb 4, hours after Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid visited the hospital.

Dr Samina Shaheen was given additional charge as the hospital’s medical superintendent, in addition to her regular details, until a regular official arrived.

A notification issued by the Punjab Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department stated that Dr Niazi was suspended with immediate effect on account of negligence and misconduct.

However, Rawalpindi Medical University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mohammad Umer confirmed that Dr Niazi was reinstated as the BBH medical superintendent Wednesday evening.

“Although a formal notification did not arrive, I was conveyed the Punjab government’s decision in this regard verbally,” he said.

He added that Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has rejected Dr Niazi’s suspension and the specialised healthcare and medical education department will issue a notification today (Thursday).

The YDA Rawalpindi chapter protested Dr Niazi’s suspension Wednesday morning, saying he had refused to obey a request from Mr Raja to transfer Dr Abbasi.

More than 500 doctors, nurses and paramedics from BBH, the Holy Family Hospital and the District Headquarters Hospital, led by Dr Rana Azeem, Dr Ishfaq Niazi and Dr Shahid Fida, protested at BBH.

They carried posters and banners calling for Dr Niazi to be reinstated and criticised the government.

The protesters did not block Murree Road and instead held their demonstration within the hospital premises. They also did not boycott the outpatient department (OPD), and some doctors were asked to see patients.

Speaking to Dawn, YDA BBH chapter president Dr Rana Azeem said the medical superintendent was suspended due to political pressure because he refused to follow the directions of the Punjab law minister/

He said the decision caused unrest among young doctors, and the BBH chapter had already recorded its protest by blocking Murree Road in front of the hospital Monday night.

He said National Health Services Minister Aamer Mehmood Kiani and Punjab Health Minister Dr Rashid called them to inform them of the Punjab government’s decision to reinstate Dr Niazi and asked them not to protest, but they did so anyway because a notification regarding the notification had not been issued.

He also said the YDA did not boycott the OPD in all three government hospitals and protested peacefully in the hospital.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2019