LAHORE: The Punjab government has forwarded cases of four postgraduate trainees of state-run hospitals to the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) for action against them on the charges of disrupting healthcare services and challenging the writ of the state.

Grand Health Alliance Chairman Dr Salman Haseeb, a PG trainee at the Services Hospital, is among them. The other PGs are Dr Aqib Javed of the Jinnah Hospital, Dr Ammar Yousuf of the Lahore General Hospital and Dr Bilal Pasha of the Mayo Hospital.

The government has also terminated services of Young Doctors Association Punjab president Dr Qasim Awan who was working as medical officer (on an ad hoc basis) at the Punjab Institute of Neuro Sciences besides initiating action against six striking nurses under the Punjab Employees, Efficiency and Accountability Act 2006.

YDA president ‘terminated’ yet another time

Interestingly, Dr Awan has been terminated from service for the third time on the charges of disrupting healthcare services and instigating the other employees including young medics, an official told Dawn.

Earlier, he said, Dr Awan had managed to get job at the Jinnah Hospital when the Shaikh Zayed Hospital terminated him from service. He had been working at the SZH on an ad hoc basis. He again got termination letter from the Jinnah Hospital and managed to get new job at the Lahore General Hospital on an ad hoc basis as MO.

The Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education (SH&ME) Department in the letter addressed to the CPSP has clearly stated that it has sought action against the PGs after serious allegations proved against them. They were held guilty of disrupting healthcare services at state-run hospitals, creating law and order situation, instigating other doctors, nurses, paramedics to stop provision of healthcare services to patients and challenging the writ of the state.

Many incidents have been reported where they used abusive language against their professors/supervisors and tried to forcibly stop them from performing their official duties, according to the letter of the SH&ME.

“In short, they have been found guilty of conduct unbecoming of a doctor,” reads the letter that seeks cancellation of their postgraduate residency programme registration as major punishment.

Similarly, the nurses who got show-cause notices included were Sobia Ishaque, Farhat, Zahida Hussain and Nusrat. They were informed that the health department had initiated action against them on sufficient grounds.

“You are fully involved in campaigning and observing strike at your hospital and used derogatory language and forced working nurses to join the strike. Likewise, you daily gather at hospital, raise anti-government slogans, and forcefully close the parchi counters and OPD rooms. Your action disrupted the provision of healthcare facilities to the patients, which multiplied the agony and miseries of poor patients,” reads the notice.As the charges stand proved, there is no need for any further inquiry into the matter. The department asked them to submit a written reply within seven days of issuance of notices to decide one or more penalties against them.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2019