Posted: 10:49 PST - 7/9/2012

LAHORE: The Young Doctors Association (YDA), Punjab, has called off its
strike and resumed treatment of patients in all departments of public sector
hospitals in the province in compliance with orders of the Lahore High Court.
The normal functioning of indoor and outdoor wards will resume in hospitals today
(Monday), said YDA, Punjab, office-bearers including its president Dr Hamid Butt, Dr
Nasir Abbas, Dr Kashif Bilal and many others, while addressing a press conference after
holding general council meeting at the Admn Block of the Jinnah Hospital Sunday.
Earlier, the YDA, Punjab, had resumed emergency services Saturday on the orders of the
Lahore High Court after the closure of emergency services for five days.
The young doctors have resumed healthcare services in outdoor wards today and are
providing treatment to patients after three weeks.
The YDA, Punjab began its strike in Out-Patient Departments (OPDs) on June 18, 2012
demanding a service structure for doctors, while it withdrew services from emergency and
indoor wards as well after Punjab police launched a crackdown on young doctors on July 1.
Meanwhile, following the end of the YDA strike, the process of Pakistan Army doctors
returning has begun. These doctors were called in on the request of the Punjab government
due to young doctors strike.

Posted: 21:25 PST - 7/8/2012

LAHORE: After almost three weeks, the Young Doctors Association (YDA) has
ended its strike in government hospitals across Punjab.
Young Doctors will return to their duties in OPDs and indoor wards of government hospitals
at 9:00 AM Monday. Earlier the doctors had returned to their duties in emergency wards.
According to a representative of the YDA, if their demands are not met, they would launch
another strike. The YDA stressed that a service structure was their right and they would
continue to wage a struggle for it.

Under the proposed service structure, no doctor should be recruited below BS-18, salaries
should be readjusted and HPA and teaching allowance should be equal to the running basic
salary of a doctor.

more...
Posted: 17:35 PST - 7/8/2012

LAHORE: Young Doctors continue their strike in outpatient and inpatient

departments and have only resumed their duties in emergency wards of
government hospitals.
Following the orders of the Lahore High Court, doctors returned to emergency wards in
Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Rahim Yar Khan and Lahore.
Due to the strike, patients in outpatient and inpatient wards continue to suffer across the
province.
13:25 PST - 7/7/2012

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday ordered the protesting
doctors of the Young Doctors Association (YDA) to call off their strike and
return to their duties in out-door emergency wards and in-door departments
of all the government hospitals, Geo News reported.
The court later adjourned the hearing for two weeks.
On Friday, the court had also restrained the Punjab government from harassing and
arresting young doctors and creating hurdles in their way of resuming emergency services.
This court expects doctors to show bona fide and goodwill by calling off the strike
immediately and commencing work at emergencies at 9am on Saturday. Likewise, in view of
the statement of the Punjab health secretary, no unlawful hindrance or restriction will be
caused in resumption of work by doctors. In addition, the Punjab government shall not
cause undue harassment or conduct raids at the residences of doctors, the order said.
Justice Ejazul Ahsan was hearing a petition, seeking cancellation of licences of protesting
doctors, scrutiny of their medical degrees and strict disciplinary and penal action against

them. The Judicial Activism Panel moved the petition in the public interest through its
counsel Muhammad Azhar Siddique.
The court also directed the YDA leadership, including President Hamid Butt, to appear
before the court today and asked Additional Advocate General Faisal Zaman Khan to
produce investigation records of a murder case registered against doctors after the death of
an infant, Fahd, at the Mayo Hospital during the strike. The court also summoned the case
investigation officer on Saturday. Moreover, the YDA has been asked to submit their
viewpoint and reply to the petition by July 9.
The Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) will furnish its reply in a weeks time. As
proceedings started on Friday, no representative of the YDA was present in the court and
their counsel said his clients were unable to turn updue to fear of arrest. At this, the court
directed the Punjab government to give free access to young doctors to appear in the court.
As the hearing resumed, YDA General Secretary Nasir Abbas appeared before the court and
said doctors were being harassed by the government and raids were being conducted at
their residences.
He said there was no service structure for the doctors and they had been granted promotion
for the first time in 14 years. He said they were compelled to go on strike, as the government
was not willing to heed their genuine grievances. He assured the court that doctors were
ready to resume work at emergencies if their arrested or detained colleagues were released.
He said no one came forward to help them and even the courts did nothing for them.
Nasir alleged that a murder case was registered against the doctors at the behest of PML-N
leader Salman Rafique, as the complainant in the case was a resident of his constituency. He
said eight doctors were booked and four arrested, adding that during the negotiation, the
government promised converting Section 302 into Section 322, but this had not been done
so far.
At this, the judge remarked that nobody disagreed with your views. You are the cream of
Pakistani society and you deserve to have a service structure on the pattern of the army,
judiciary and bureaucracy. The court said it seemed that the disagreement was only on
modalities, adding that decision-makers and all stakeholders should sit together to find out
a viable solution.
The judge observed that the issue was mishandled, which had worsened the situation in
hospitals and the people were the ultimate sufferers. It is the duty of the court to protect the
rights of both sides doctors and patients as well, the court said.

Punjab Health Secretary Arif Nadeem told the court that 32 doctors were detained, but all of
them had been released after senior doctors met Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. But the
doctors did not call off the strike. Responding to the courts query, he said the government
had no objection if doctors were ready to resume work. He, however, pointed out that the
government was also recruiting new doctors.
The provincial law officer stated that YDA General Secretary Nasir Abbas, during the
hearing of the suo motu case in the Supreme Court, had undertaken that they would not go
on strike and by opting for a strike they were violating the SCs order. He said the issue of
doctors service structure was pending at five different forums. Anxiety and lack of
confidence is high on both sides. The situation will cool down once the misconceptions are
removed and confidence building measures are taken, the court said.
Dr Abdul Basit, counsel for the PMDC, informed the court that the Council had received two
references against the striking doctors on charges of misconduct. He sought the courts
permission to proceed against the doctors, but the court restrained him from doing so for
the time being. He pointed out that forming the YDA also falls under the definition of
misconduct.

Posted: 22:50 PST - 7/6/2012

LAHORE: Young Doctors Association (YDA) has announced to end strike

immediately in the emergency wards of government hospitals, while the
doctors would continue to observe strike in the OPDs and Indoor Department,
Geo news reported.
According to the Young Doctors Association spokesman Dr Nasir Abbas, the doctors have
not withdrawal the demand for service structure.
Dr Nasir said that they have trust on the court but not in Punjab government. He claimed
that no loss of life would have taken place if doctors were not arrested.
It is pertinent to mention here that Lahore High Court on Friday ordered all striking doctors
to return to their duties in emergency wards from Saturday 9AM.

Posted: 20:20 PST - 7/6/2012

LAHORE: A judicial magistrate on Friday extended the physical remand of four

doctors allegedly involved in a child's death case, till July 9.

Earlier, the police produced four doctors including Tajammul, Adil, Usman and Matloob
before the court and sought further physical remand for investigation.
However, the defence counsel opposed the request contending that the accused were
innocent.
He said that the case was registered on political grounds as murder case could not be
registered on accidental death.
However, Judicial Magistrate Naqeeb Shahzad after hearing the arguments extended the
physical remand of doctors for another three days and directed police to produce the
accused again on July 9.
A large number of young doctors were also present on the occasion who were carrying
placards demanding justice.
An infant, Fahad, who was under treatment in Mayo hospital died as the medics did not
attend him after police crackdown on doctors.
The child's father, got registered a case against the striking doctors at Gawalmandi police
station, nominating eight doctors including Tajammul, Adil, Matloob, Hannan, Usman,
Asad and others. (APP)
Posted: 10:15 PST - 7/6/2012

FAISALABAD: Even on the all-blessed night of Shab-e-Barat, the young doctors

did not care about the sufferings of the patients and stuck to their demands of
release of their detained colleagues, withdrawal of cases and termination
orders as well as formulation of a service structure.
The Punjab government faced embarrassment earlier after its claim that the Young Doctors
Association (YDA), Punjab, has ended its strike, proved wrong. Nearly 10,000 YDA
members continued their strike in outdoor wards on the 19th and in emergency and indoor
wards on the fifth consecutive day on Friday.
The patients and their relatives, while cursing the government and the young doctors,
alleged that the owners of private health facilities had also a hand in the ongoing strike of
doctors, as they were doing a booming business these days.
However, YDA Punjab members started performing their duties in emergency wards of
cardiology hospitals including Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), Lahore, Multan
Institute of Cardiology (MIC), Multan, and Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology (FIC), in

response to the Punjab governments gesture of releasing their colleagues arrested during
last Sundays crackdown on Doctors Hostel in Services Hospital.
The YDA Punjab has also demanded withdrawal of Section 302 FIR against four doctors in
an alleged murder of one-and-a-half years old boy Fahd in Mayo Hospital last Sunday night
and their immediate release. They also refused to budge an inch on the demand of
implementation of service structure.
The provincial government, meanwhile, mentioned procedural hiccups in the withdrawal of
criminal case against doctors in the Fahd death case. President of Medical Teachers
Association (MTA), Punjab, and Principal of Allama Iqbal Medical College/Jinnah Hospital
Lahore Prof Dr Javed Akram offered his services to help resolve the issue between the
provincial government and the YDA.
He said he was ready to convince the government to absolve the four young doctors of Fahd
death case if the YDA agrees to resume emergency services in all Punjab hospitals. And if I
failed to convince the government, I would resign as the president of Medical Teachers
Association, Punjab, he assured the YDA.
The Punjab government recruited 96 more doctors in teaching hospitals through the Punjab
Public Service Commission (PPSC) on Thursday. Also, a small number of young doctors
have started returning to their duties after Punjab health secretarys final notice of dismissal
from service for violating the Essential Services Act.
The Punjab Health Department also terminated services of 25 women medical officers
(WMOs) for failing to report on duties.
Sources said the Punjab government has decided to take action against those senior doctors
who were supporting the young doctors in their strike.
The police contingent remained on duty in hospitals with a view to providing security to the
doctors performing their duties. There were reports that the activists of YDA, Punjab,
forcibly halted treatment services to the patients in Jinnah Hospital on Thursday.
Posted: 15:19 PST - 7/5/2012

LAHORE: Patients in various hospitals continue to suffer Thursday despite

Young Doctors Association (YDA) in Punjab partially calling off their strike on
Wednesday.
Young doctors have refused to work in Emergency wards in various hospitals excluding
Lahore, Multan and Faisalabad Institutes of Cardiology.

Meanwhile, spokesman of Health Department Punjab said that all the detained young
doctors have been released; however he added that four doctors accused in the murder of
infant named Fahad could be only set free after the complainants statement.
According to the spokesman, all nine detained doctors were released on Wednesday night.
The spokesman said that 100 percent doctors are working in PIC, adding that the situation
in other hospitals is much better following the alternative arrangements taken by the
government.
Whereas, Young doctors said that they will continue to observe strike until all the doctors
accused in the murder of a child would be released.
Dr Amir Bandesh in a press conference said that doctors had not submitted an apology
affidavit. He said that its difficult to run Emergency in the absence of young doctors.

Posted: 17:35 PST - 7/8/2012

LAHORE: Young Doctors continue their strike in outpatient and inpatient

departments and have only resumed their duties in emergency wards of
government hospitals.
Following the orders of the Lahore High Court, doctors returned to emergency wards in
Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Rahim Yar Khan and Lahore.
Due to the strike, patients in outpatient and inpatient wards continue to suffer across the
province.

Posted: 8:59 PST - 7/5/2012

LAHORE: The young doctors did not resume their duties at the hospitals
demanding withdrawal of all cases registered against them, Geo News
reported.
The government released all the doctors after a successful meeting between the
representatives of government and senior doctors. But the Young Doctors' Association

(YDA) pointed out that although their colleagues were freed but the FIRs lodged against
them were not cancelled.
On, Wednesday, the Punjab government has claimed that YDA strike has been called off and
all the doctors are resuming duties in their respective hospitals forthwith.
The YDA has stated that they would decide about working in emergency departments today
but made it clear that the operations in the OPDs could only be resumed if service structure
conditions are met.
Posted: 21:58 PST - 7/4/2012

LAHORE: The Young Doctors Association (YDA) has ended the strike after
successful talks with senior doctors, said Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah.
The provincial law minister spoke to the media on Wednesday and said the detention orders
of YDA doctors were being withdrawn and arrested doctors released.
The YDA ended their strike after they held negotiations at a meeting with senior doctors and
they will be resuming their duties from Thursday.
However, the YDA spokesman Dr Zulqarnain said the doctors would only return to the
emergency wards and linked the end of strike in OPDs and indoor wards with the approval
of service structure.
As many as fifteen patients died allegedly as a result of young doctors strike which
continued for several days.
The strike drew mixed reactions of the people from across the country. A large section of the
society described the doctors' demands as justifiable but disapproved of the modus operandi
of the strike. Others saw it as a well-justified move, saying the young doctors were left with
no other option to press the government.