MUZAFFARGARH: A grand health alliance of doctors, nurses, and medical staff has launched protests against the Punjab government’s decision to privatise health centres.

As part of their protest, they have announced a daily closure of OPD services from 10am onwards in government hospitals.

On Monday, the alliance held a major demonstration at DHQ Hospital, where a large number of doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff gathered, raising strong slogans in favour of their demands.

Addressing the protest, Pakisan Medical Association District President Dr Athar Kaleem, General Secretary Dr Mustehsan Zameer, Chairman Dr Yousaf Naseem Leghari, Dr Maqbool Alam, Adnan Leghari, and other medical professionals declared that privatisation of health centres is unacceptable under any circumstances.

They announced that starting Tuesday,protests would expand to government hospitals across the district, with OPD services closing from 10 AM daily as a form of resistance against the government’s decision.

The protesters accused the government of depriving citizens of their fundamental right to healthcare by handing over public health facilities to private entities. They warned that privatisation would exploit both patients and medical staff, making healthcare inaccessible for the poor.

The protesting medical staff issued a strong ultimatum, demanding that the government withdraw the privatisation decision immediately. They warned that if their demands were not met, they would intensify and expand their protest movement.

The demonstrators called for the withdrawal of the FBR’s decision to install POS (Point of Sale) systems at doctors’ clinics and the cancellation of illegal notices issued to doctors by the labor and excise departments.

One of the protesting doctors highlighted a major issue with privatisation, stating that under the new system,

doctors would be restricted to treating only 32 patients per day as per the budget, whereas currently, each health centre caters to more than 100 patients daily.

He also raised concerns about the supply of non-certified medicines to privatised health centres, calling it an alarmingdevelopmentthat could put patients’ lives at risk.

The medical community has vowed to continue their protests until the government withdraws its decision and ensures that public healthcare remains accessible to all.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2025