LAHORE, Oct 4: The Punjab government on Friday suspended the service of Prof Dr Yasmin Rashid on account of misconduct and violation of Rule 25-B of the West Pakistan Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1966, and under Section 4 of the Punjab Removal from Service (Special Powers) Ordinance, 2000.

Dr Yasmin has been serving as professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Fatima Jinnah Medical College. During the period of suspension, she will draw subsistence allowance and such other allowances as admissible to her under the rules.

The Punjab health department had also charge-sheeted her for organizing strike in hospitals and staging protest demonstration in front of the Governor’s House in April this year but the department could not hold inquiry.

It is learnt that health secretary Hasan Wasim Afzal had also tried to press her through the board of governors of the FJMC and Ganga Ram Hospital that she should not participate in the Friday rally.

The BoG officials told Dawn that Prof Yasmin could have been stopped as a professor of gynaecology from leading a protest rally but they had no power to stop the president of the Pakistan Medical Association to protest against the government policies.

When contacted, Prof Yasmin said she would continue struggle on the principled stand of the Pakistan Medical Association even if the government terminated her service.

She said the PMA was demanding that the boards of governors constituted in medical and health institutions should be abolished, privatization of public sector hospitals should be stopped, the health and education sectors should be allocated a budget of at least six per cent of the GNP each, and the government should appoint doctors on regular basis instead of the contract appointment.