HYDERABAD: Members of Young Doctors Association (YDA) observed black day at Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) on Monday and held a demonstration, demanding the Sindh government fulfil their “fair” demands.

YDA Hyderabad chapter president Dr Roshan Rasool Chandio, general secretary Dr Ghufran Memon, Dr Faizan Memon and others, who led the protest, said that they did not want agitation at the hospital because of coronavirus emergency but doctors were forced to resort to protest as the authorities were ignoring their demands.

Dr Roshan said that they did not want to disturb patients, therefore, they did not boycott all services and did not bring all office-bearers and association members to the protest in order to follow SOPs in the demonstration.

He said that they would continue to observe black day and protest every day before the start of Eidul Fitr holidays. After Eid, they would evolve a comprehensive strategy to press the government to meet their demands.

Leaders vow to continue protest until Eid, evolve new strategy after holidays

He said that they wanted to record the protest and inform the authorities about their grievances and demands and presented a charter of demands, calling for provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) to handle the pandemic in an efficient manner.

He called for screening of all health workers, ensuring health risk allowances equal to gross salaries to medical officers, postgraduate students, paramedics and nurses as given by Punjab and the federal government, payment of 13 months’ stipends of PG students of Larkana and Sukkur, establishment of separate hospitals for infectious diseases in each district, increase in number of ventilators in each tertiary healthcare hospital, raise in salary of PGs to Rs75,000, award of health insurance of healthcare providers and martyr package in case of casualty, issuance of notification for promotion from grade 17 to 18, provision of security, conversion of Hyderabad doctors hostel into an isolation centre for doctors of infectious disease only, induction of scores of dental surgeons into public hospitals each year etc.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2020