HYDERABAD: Tension bet­ween the Young Doctors Association (YDA) and Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) administration is brewing as the ongoing negotiations between them over many issues remained inconclusive till Tuesday evening.

The YDA has put up a list of issues to the administration and wants them to be resolved at the earliest. However, the administration has questioned the association’s legitimacy and also termed all but one of their demands ‘generic’.

While more talks are yet to be held, the administration has agreed that the young doctors working at the health facility are facing the issue of insecurity.

The other issues included maladministration and lack of proper facilities affecting both doctors’ performance and healthcare provision to patients.

YDA submits list of demands; hospital administration questions legitimacy of association, terms most demands ‘generic’

Letters have been exchanged between the two sides for the resolution of the issues. YDA office-bearers held a meeting with LUH Medical Superintendent Dr Ershad Kazmi on Tuesday to thrash out the issues. According to YDA Central President Dr Roshan Chandyo, the meeting remained inconclusive.

YDA leaders Dr Mir Afzal Khaskheli and Dr Rana Ashfaq had first written to the MS about the issues on July 9, drawing his attention to the lack of security, overcrowding, dysfunctional air-conditioning, shortage of instruments etc.

They said that young doctors were facing abusive treatment, harassment and physical assaults by attendants of patients. They referred to a recent assault on a doctor in the surgical department, and said that it remained unresolved.

They highlighted the issues of overcrowding in wards, OPDs and emergency sections. This, they said, was hampering patient management and significantly increasing the risk of infections, particularly in surgical wards and OTs.

They complained that air-conditioning systems in wards and OTs, especially in gynaecology labour room and surgical OTs remained dysfunctional creating unsafe and extremely difficult working conditions for both patients and healthcare staff.

They also complained about a severe shortage of essential surgical instruments in the OTs and dental OPD.

MS Dr Kazmi, in his July 18 rejoinder, wanted the YDA to share its constitution, approved byelaws, updated list of office-bearers and registration with the competent government department. He told the YDA that mere reference to the Industrial Relations Act did not, by itself, establish the association’s status as a statutory trade union or collective bargaining agent for government doctors.

The MS said that the LUH administration was committed to resolving genuine issues through dialogue and established official channels. However, all association activities should be conducted without affecting hospital discipline, official duties, emergency services or uninterrupted provision of patient care, he stressed. He cautioned that no protest should result in suspension of OPDs.

The YDA leaders, in their response, referred to a separate letter addressed by the MS to the Sindh YDA President Dr Roshan Chandyo requiring him to submit his ‘disability certificate’ and ‘academic qualification’.

The leaders termed it “unwarranted” arguing that the disability certificate was already verified by LUMHS and Sindh Public Service Commission at the time of his appointment. Similarly, they said, the academic qualification was also submitted. Seeking these documents again implied harassment, they said.

The YDA leaders hoped that the LUH administration would fix the problems highlighted in their letter.

MS Dr Kazmi told Dawn on Tuesday evening that YDA was mainly concerned over ‘insecurity’, and that other demands were just ‘generic’ in nature.

Dr Chandyo said: “YDA LUMHS representatives met the AMS [Dr Niaz Niaz Hussain Babar] while wearing black armbands as a mark of protest against its president’s character assassination”.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2026