Rawalpindi-The Young Doctors Association (YDA) on Tuesday agitated against the Punjab government for not reinstating the suspended Medical Superintendent (MS) Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) and against Medical Teaching Institutions Act and sacking of employees from Sheikh Zaid Hospital.
The protestors have announced to set up a protest camp outside Outdoor Patient Department (OPD) of BBH to press the government to notify Dr Tariq Masood Khan Niazi as MS BBH.
Dr Tariq was suspended by the government after a telephonic conversation between him and Punjab Law Minister Muhammad Basharat Raja was leaked in media.
According to sources, more than 350 doctors and nurses assembled outside BBH and staged a protest demonstration on Murree Road by blocking it for vehicular movement.
The protest demonstration was led by YDA BBH President Dr Azeem, Dr Shohaib Tarrur, Chairman YDA and Dr Ashfaq Niazi of HFH YDA.
The irate doctors also chanted slogans against Chief Minister Punjab (CM) Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar, Law Minister Muhammad Basharat Raja, health ministers Aamir Kiyani and Dr Yasmin Rashid and Dr Shehbaz Gill, the spokesman to CM. Some protestors were also carrying red flags in hands.
The most echoed slogans, chanted by young doctors, were simple, “Down with Raja Basharat”, “We will not accept the policies of suppression and injustice” and “Restore Dr Tariq Masood Khan Niazi as MS BBH”.
MS BBH is suspended over the leaking of telephonic conversation between him and Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat on social media.
Addressing the protestors, the speakers criticized the Punjab government’s decision to suspend MS BBH in order to please CM’s blue-eyed law minister Muhammad Basharat Raja.
They said that MS was suspended for not accepting political pressure to transfer Dr Ariba, daughter of PML-N jailed leader Hanif Abbasi from Emergency to Skin Department.
They said CM and ministers had assured YDA that MS would be reinstated on his post but later on Tariq Masood was restored as PMO, which was not acceptable.
They said the government has also been sacking doctors from Sheikh Zaid Hospital without any reason. They said the government is also making a plan to introduce the Medical Teaching Institutions Act for privatising the government-run hospitals. They said YDA would oppose all such black deeds of government.
YDA BBH President Dr Azeem said the federal and provincial health ministers Amir Kiani and Dr Yasmin Rashid have been acting as enemies of doctors by not restoring the MS BBH.
He said YDA would continue to protest against illegal steps of PTI government. He demanded the CM to restore Dr Tariq Masood Khan Niazi as MS BBH.
The mess of young doctors triggered a massive traffic jam on Murree Road causing troubles for commuters and pedestrians and hampering business activities along with the city’s busiest road.
Meanwhile, the employees of District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital also staged a protest demo at Fawar Chowk for up gradation of scales. They chanted slogans against the government and in favour of their demands.