HYDERABAD: The Pakistan Medical Association’s (PMA) Sindh chapter has condemned Islamabad police’s manhandling of protesting doctors who were raising their voice in a democratic manner.

The PMA, which held a virtual meeting with its president Dr Mirza Ali Azhar in the chair on Wednesday, observed that present government neither wanted to listen to doctors nor pay attention to their genuine demands.

The meeting noted that the doctors and medical students were brutally beaten up and manhandled according to media reports. Some of the protesters suffered serious injuries as the government crossed all limits against the protesters, said the meeting.

It urged Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motu action against perpetrators of this crime and intervene to resolve problems created by illegal and unconstitutional Pakistan Medical Commission.

The meeting observed that doctors of Sindh reserved the right to protest against such atrocities in Sindh and extend their protest to other provinces.

The meeting demanded the government hold negotiations with PMA and find an amicable solution to the problem. Complaints were being received about registration of FIRs against doctors and legal proceedings initiated against them without any investigation or inquiry, it said.

The meeting expressed concern over the situation which it said was alarming as most of the doctors were working under tremendous pressure with inadequate facilities and trained staff and without proper support of authorities.

The meeting asserted that in fact doctors were scared to touch any patient in a critical condition in government hospitals. Amid such circumstances, doctors became main scapegoats and faced inquiry, FIR, suspension and harassment from different quarters, it said and urged the Sindh government to resolve doctors’ chronic problems.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2021