PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Doctors Council has announced an end to its weeklong strike after assurance by chief minister regarding acceptance of their demands.

The strikers remained source of miseries for the hapless people, who visited the government-run hospitals for free treatment for over a week as they locked OPDs, diagnostic outlets and operation theatres forcing the patients to pay consultation fee at the private centres and get treated.

On late Tuesday night, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan invited KPDC representatives for a meeting, which ended up with calling off the strike by doctors after formation of committees to look into the problems due to which they had taken path of protest.

Separate panels to look into proposed regional health authorities and alleged thrashing of surgeon by minister

A press release issued here said that doctors ended their strike after holding successful talks with the government wherein it was decided to form two committees. One of the committees, comprising the representatives of government and doctors, will look into the proposed regional health and district health authorities.

The doctors have been protesting against the formation of the authorities arguing these are aimed at privatising the public sector hospitals and harming the patients and health professional alike.

Another committee to be headed by the commissioner of Peshawar division was tasked to probe the alleged beating of Dr Ziauddin, a surgeon at Khyber Teaching Hospital, by Health Minister Dr Hisham Inamullah Khan last week.

The doctors had demanded immediate resignation of health minister and registration of a first information report (FIR) against him.

However, neither of the demands of the doctors was accepted in the agreement reached with the government on Tuesday.

Enraged by the government’s move to set up health authorities at the district and regional level, the KPDC had ended the strike on May 2 after assurance by the government to look into their grievances. It had been decided to form a parliamentary committee comprising members of the treasury and opposition benches to hold talks on the draft law for setting health authorities within a fortnight.

The patients had just taken a sigh of relief after the end of strike, when on May 14, the health minister rushed to KTH where he allegedly thrashed a surgeon, who had thrown eggs in the direction of Prof Nausherwan Burki, the architect of health reforms in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and doctors went on strike the same day that ended late Tuesday night.

The government has issued several warnings that it would not succumb to doctors’ pressure and has prepared lists to terminate the medics for not performing their duty. Similarly, the doctors had pledged that they would continue the strike till registration of FIR against the health minister.

However, neither an FIR was registered against the minister, nor action was taken against doctors for halting the healthcare system. More than 1,500 health facilities remained shut to receive patients during the strike. It was not the first time that patients were denied treatment for week.

During the past 30 days, doctors observed strike for 14 days that was called after successful talks. The pattern of strikes is the same. When doctors, paramedics or nurses go on strike, the government becomes silent spectator and forms committees to end strike after week but the employees don’t face any action.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2019