PESHAWAR: Following failure of their negotiations with the provincial government, the Provincial Doctors Association (PDA) on Friday announced to observe complete strike in government hospitals in Peshawar on Saturday (today).

The doctors and paramedical employees observed a sit-in outside the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly against the draft bill of proposed Health Act 2014 and the plan to close down the Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI).

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A team of the provincial government, led by health minister Shahram Khan Tarakai and also including members of the opposition parties, held negotiations with the doctors and asked them to avoid holding protest demonstrations. The doctors’ team led by Dr Kamran Hasan included Dr Abdul Malik, Dr Hussain Afridi, Dr Nisar, Dr Saeedur Rehman, Dr Liaquat, Dr Nasir, Dr Kamran Durrani, Dr Azmat, Dr Zubair Bhatti and some other senior doctors. Representatives of other health employees were also present on the occasion.

But the doctors, presenting their own demands, said that they could go to any extent unless their problems were resolved.

The demands include formulation and implementation of effective and patients’ friendly health care policy, recommended Act signed by all the stakeholders of doctors’ community, including the development of PGMI, immediate implementation of agreed service structure and appointment of competent health minister as soon as possible.

“Our negotiations with the government team have failed and now the doctors have decided to observe complete strike in all the government hospitals in Peshawar and also keep the shutters of their private clinics down on Saturday(today),” PDA chairman Dr Shah Sawar told Dawn.

Criticising the government, he said that a charter of demands presented by the doctors had been accepted during negotiations in the previous meetings, but the suggestions were not incorporated in the draft bill of health Act which infuriated the doctors.

Complain govt not incorporating their suggestions in health bill

He said that of their demands the one regarding the PGMI topped the list because the government wanted to close it down and doctors wanted it to be further developed because it had been playing vital role in training of doctors. He said that the policy drafted by the provincial government was against the principles of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council. He said that the doctors did not want to observe strike, but they had no other option in this regard.

The PDA leader said that their next strategy was to hold a meeting with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, and hand him a signed letter by all doctors, mainly senior consultants, against the sitting health minister.

Dr Shah Sawar said that the paramedics had also extended support to the doctors. He said that there would be complete strike, but emergency cover would be given to patients.

“We will hold the general body meeting on Sunday to devise our next line of action because the community has been protesting for the past several days, but the government is least bothered to consider our demands,” he said.

The daylong protest also led to severe problems for the people as traffic remained suspended on Khyber Road and the traffic was routed to the Courts Road and Khyber Bazaar.

Published in Dawn January 10th , 2014

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