Patients Bear the Brunt of Young Doctors’ Strike in DI Khan

APP

DI Khan: Patients and their attendants, many from remote rural areas, faced severe inconvenience at District Headquarters Hospital, Mufti Mehmood Hospital, and Women Hospital due to a strike by young doctors.

The strike, led by the Young Doctors’ Association, persisted for three days, disrupting health services at both outpatient and inpatient departments. This action was in response to the suspension of one of their colleagues.

Consequently, the closure of outpatient services prompted relatives of patients to initiate protests. Hundreds of patients and their attendants joined in demonstrating against the young doctors along the circular road outside the district headquarters hospital. The situation escalated due to the impact on health services, significantly affecting those seeking medical attention, especially from rural areas.

They held the doctors and hospital administration responsible for their sufferings and complained that the hospital administration had left the poor patients at the mercy of doctors.

We were left with no option but to protest, said an attendant who was a part of the protest. It was not fair to boycott OPDs where the end sufferers would be the patients, they said. How can one justify the move by depriving thousands of ailing patients of their rights to healthcare services?