LAHORE: The Punjab Young Doctors Association (YDA) staged a protest against the management of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital (SKMCH) for terminating 12 doctors and announced that the mode of agitation will be extended to ensure the doctors’ reinstatement.

The protest came in the wake of termination of 12 doctors. The sacked doctors also set up a protest camp outside the hospital and announced they would continue their agitation until their reinstatement.

Differences started when the hospital management removed Dr Shazia Riaz from her post and later terminated her.

Dr Bukhari told Dawn Dr Shazia was the only American board-certified paediatric oncologist in Pakistan. He added she was head of her department and claimed the hospital management also terminated six doctors under training there.

“In Pakistan, only Agha Khan Hospital in Karachi and Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital in Lahore are accordingly registered by the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan for training in paediatric oncology,” Dr Bukhari said.

Similarly, he said, Dr Shazia was one of the only two supervisors providing training in paediatric oncology in Pakistan.

“She was terminated on Sept 30 when she complained to Dr Nosherwan Barki (a hospital board member) against wrong policies of SKMCH Medical Director (MD) Dr Asim Yusuf,” Dr Bukhari said.

He said Dr Shazia had asked the MD to extend the scope of cancer treatment to the critically sick children as she was disturbed by the increasing number of young patients.

“When she repeatedly argued, the MD got agitated and removed her from her position,” he claimed, adding Dr Yusuf took further action and terminated her for complaining about the issue to Dr Barki.

Dr Bukhari said Dr Shazia was living in the US with her family and Dr Barki had brought her to Shaukat Khanum in 2012.

“We were wearing black armbands while working since she was removed,” Dr Bukhari said, adding the hospital management also terminated six doctors under training when they demanded Dr Shazia’s reinstatement. It also terminated some other junior doctors of the department when they protested against the sackings.

Dr Bukhari alleged that the hospital management had disrespected the highly qualified paediatric oncologist and also put at risk the future of her students under training. He further said the management had replaced Dr Shazia with a non-oncologist doctor. The new appointee was a consultant in paediatric medicine, which was a rare precedent in the world.

The YDA called its general council meeting on Oct 25 in order to further devise strategies to pressurise the hospital management.

SKMCH Chief Executive Officer Dr Faisal Sultan while defending the institute told Dawn the decision to terminate the doctors was taken to maintain discipline and decorum.

“The institute did not victimise any doctor,” he said, adding the management had listened to all the doctors several times.

It had also provided several chances to the sacked doctors to adhere to the principles and discipline. He also rejected allegations regarding disgracing Dr Shazia, saying she was not the only one hired from abroad.

“All consultants currently providing services at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital were hired from abroad,” he said.

Dr Sultan rejected another allegation of the protesting doctors that the management had appointed a non-oncologist doctor as head of the department, saying the consultant was serving as an acting head. It was an administrative position and the management reserved the right to appoint a non-oncologist on that position, he said.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2014