RAWALPINDI: The Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab threatened to protest across the province on Tuesday if the government does not legislate to provide security for doctors and withdraw the increase in the costs of pathological tests at government hospitals.

Addressing a press conference, YDA Punjab Chairman Dr Shoaib Tarar and YDA Rawalpindi chapter President Dr Rana Azeem said the provincial government promised to make legislation on security for hospital staff, including doctors, but has failed to bring any such bill to the assembly so far.

They said a draft bill in this regard has been pending in the Punjab Assembly for six months, adding that medical practitioners at government-run hospitals need security after incidents in Rahimyar Khan and Lahore, where patients’ attendants assaulted doctors and the doctors were suspended.

They said Punjab Minister for Baitul Mal Raja Basharat, previously the provincial law minister, had said that there was no need for security in hospitals, but doctors want security because cases of quarrels between doctors and patients’ attendants have increased in the last few years.

They also said the government wants to privatise hospitals across the province, and they will resist this. They said people will have to pay more for healthcare after healthcare facilities across the province are privatised.

Punjab Minister for Health Dr Yasmeen Rashid has failed to improve the healthcare system in the province, they said, and called for her resignation. They said she had promised to increase the salaries of doctors working in remote areas, but failed to do so.

Dr Azeem said the government has increased the fees for pathological tests manifold, which was the main reason for disputes between doctors and patients.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2019