RAWALPINDI: Young doctors on Tuesday observed strike in outdoor patients department of Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) against the transfer of two doctors who filed a complaint against head of Medical Unit-1.

Due to the strike, the patients in BBH suffered a lot. All the young doctors stopped attending patients who had to go to emergency department for treatment.

Young Doctors Association (YDA) BBH Chapter President Dr Humayun Warriach told Dawn that as many as 15 doctors including female ones submitted a complaint against head of Medical Unit-1 Dr Lubna Mairaj and instead of listening to the complaint the administration transferred two male doctors who had signed the complaint to Holy Family Hospital.

He said the matter was taken up with medical superintendent that the doctors had genuine problems as their absent was marked despite the fact they performed duties in the medical unit whole day. He said the administration of Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU) transferred the doctors without having powers to do it.

He said after centralised induction policy, the doctors had been posted from Lahore through Public Service Commission and they had not been transferred. He said the administration was not listening to the problems of the doctors and meted out step-motherly treatment.

He said they had no option but to observe strike in OPD on Tuesday while the doctors in emergency department performed their duties and checked the patients without any break there.

He said the administration called the meeting of doctors on Wednesday and after the meeting, the YDA would announce its new plan.

He said the YDA demanded to withdraw the notification for transfer of the doctors who submitted complaint and listen to their problems.

He said the YDA asked the administration to form a committee to listen to the problem and if the doctors’ complaint was genuine then action would be taken otherwise, the YDA would give another call of protest in all three hospitals.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2022