FAISALABAD: After criticising policemen at a meeting over their failure to control crime in the district, doctors of five government hospitals on Monday withdrew their strike call at outpatient departments.
Doctors did not check patients for two hours at OPDs of Allied, DHQ, Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology and general hospitals Ghulam Muhammadabad and Samanabad on Monday in response to a strike call given by the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA). They returned to work after a conclusive dialogue with police officials.
On Wednesday, PMA Faisalabad Secretary Dr Muhammad Irfan and Dr Akmal were looted by robbers. On Saturday, some armed men looted Associate Professor Dr Muhammad Akram of the surgery department of Allied Hospital at which PMA Faisalabad President Rai Arif had announced an indefinite strike at the OPDs of five state-run hospitals against police’s failure to control crime.
The strike call panicked the government that asked police officials to placate doctors and ensure their security.
On Monday, a large number of people had to wait outside the OPDs when they were informed that doctors were on strike. However, the strike ended after a short while following a fruitful dialogue with police.
Sources privy to the development told Dawn doctors said the deteriorating law and order situation in the district was creating a sense of insecurity among the people, particularly the doctors fraternity. They said doctors had informed officials that a check post had been established at Allied Hospital manned by four policemen out of which two often remained absent, who also responded to emergency calls after a considerable delay. Doctors further said policemen at the check post remained in civvies most of the time.
Talking to Dawn, Dr Irfan said the strike call had been withdrawn as Madina Town Superintendent of Police Nasir Sial on behalf of City Police Officer Dr Haider Ashraf had assured them that the Allied Hospital check post would be upgraded, patrolling in troubled areas beefed up and robbers arrested soon.
He said frequent incidences of theft hitting doctors had left them with no option but to go on strike as police seemed least interested in improving the situation. He said officials were well aware that robbers had been looting doctors for several days in the Sargodha Road police precincts but none had been arrested.
However, Dr Irfan said, they would observe a strike again if police failed to arrest the culprits within a few days.
Published in Dawn, July 8th , 2014