RAWALPINDI: Young doctors here on Saturday boycotted outdoor patient departments (OPDs) in three government hospitals against police action on doctors and paramedical staff in Lahore who were protesting against outsourcing of public hospitals.

They warned of staging a protest on Murree Road if the government did not withdraw its decision to outsource the healthcare facilities.

The YDA had staged a protest on Thursday at Charing Cross in Lahore during which police used water cannons to disperse them. During a clash, two protesters, including the president of Young Doctors Association Punjab, got fainted.

The incident triggered protests in other parts of the province, including Rawalpindi. The garrison city’s young doctors on the call of Young Doctors Association on Saturday boycotted the OPDs and staged a protest demonstration.

Warn of protest on Murree Road if Punjab govt did not withdraw plan to outsource hospitals

Due to the protest, all departments in the hospitals remained closed for patients. However, Benazir Bhutto Hospital administration failed to make arrangements to treat patients at its OPD. As a result, patients coming to the hospital faced problems. They had to wait long hours as doctors did not come to their respective rooms to check patients.

During a visit to the hospitals, it was witnessed that young doctors had abandoned their work due to which hundreds of patients at OPDs faced difficulties. Senior doctors were present in their rooms but they did not provide treatment to patients.

Ahmed Saleem, a patient at BBH, said he was suffering from fever and visited the hospital from Khanna. He said there was no doctor available in the OPD and the patients were facing problems.

When contacted, YDA BBH President Dr Aarif Aziz said the strike call was given against the police action in Lahore. He said all departments except emergency and wards had been closed in the allied hospitals.

YDA has gone on a strike at Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Holy Family and District Headquarters Hospital. He said doctors performed duties in the emergency departments so that patients would not suffer.

“We are against outsourcing public hospitals as the provincial government wants to introduce a contract system in public hospitals instead of improving facilities,” he said.

“The violent action of police and administration in Lahore against doctors and other staff is condemnable,” he said.

He said the Punjab government was secretly planning to outsource basic units of the health sector and doctors and staff working in remote areas for years were being dismissed without any allowance or pension.

“Outsourcing of major hospitals in Punjab, including Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology, will directly increase financial burden on the public. The prices of medicines are already beyond the purchasing power of the people and now there is a plan to hand over government hospitals to the private sector,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2025