Doctors divided over protest call

LAHORE - Various associations representing the medical community across the province are divided over the issue of organising a long march to press the government for confirming the contract specialist doctors. Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Lahore chapter had announced to hold a long today (9th of July) from the PMA House to the Model Town residence of Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif. However, a day before the long march by the PMA Lahore, some medical associations have decided to keep themselves away from the event claiming that a particular group of doctors occupying the PMA Lahore centre is misusing the associations platform for ulterior motives. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Pakistan Medical Association (Equity) President Dr Saghir Baloch said most of the medical associations are not happy with the decision of the PMA Lahore president and its other office bearers to give the long march call. He called the PMA Lahore Chapter as a 'Trade Group of some doctors saying that they did not take other associations of the province, primarily representing the majority of doctors serving people in all the public hospitals, into confidence before making such extreme decision. He claimed that the Trade Group wanted to destroy healthcare delivery system. They are 'enemies of the patients which is evident from the long march call given at a time when a large number of patients are being treated absolutely free of cost at all the public hospitals of the province, he said. Dr Saghir said that patients would suffer and the doctors community would not allow the PMA Lahore to play with the lives of the innocent people for the sake of nefarious designs of some individuals, adding that the majority of the young doctors had already rejected the long march call. Similarly, Postgraduate Doctors Association (PDA) Punjab President Dr Abdul Rauf has said that some office bearers of the PMA Lahore have illegally occupied the PMA Centre. He said the valuable property situated at the Ferozepur Road was given to the association for using it for the welfare of the patients and the doctors community. But a group of doctors had embezzled millions of rupees in the name of welfare of the medical community and the same faction was now giving the long march call, he alleged. He demanded to Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif to issue directives for accountability of the doctors occupying the PMA Centre. Earlier, a joint meeting of various medical associations including PMA (Equity), Postgraduate Doctors Association Punjab, Pakistan Dental Association and Medical Teachers Association was held on Wednesday, which was presided over by PMA Equity President Dr Saghir Baloch. Office bearers of other medical associations including Dr Abdul Rauf, Dr Amir, Dr Muhammad Naeem and Dr Najma Afridi were also present on the occasion. They unanimously agreed not to participate in the long march scheduled to be held today (Thursday). 10 separate committees of 50 doctors were also constituted with a task to foil the long march announced by the PMA Lahore. The medical associations also decided to check the activities of 'miscreant doctors who wanted to create problems for the general public visiting the public hospitals daily. On the other hand, the PMA Lahore continued efforts to show its prowess in the long march scheduled today. For this purpose, the PMA Lahore formed separate teams assigning them tasks to ensure maximum participations by the doctors to make the long march a success. A meeting of PMA Lahore was held at PMA House in which its leaders vowed to hold the march to press the government for their demands. They again asked the government to take prompt action for the confirmation of specialist doctors, otherwise the medical community would continue its agitation till the fulfilment of their demands.