Daily Times

Sir: This is apropos of news item about the strike of ‘young doctors’ in Punjab and deadlock of negotiation between the government and young doctors (June 27, 2012). It is very unfortunate that people of a respected profession are protesting for their demands using a heinous tool of going on a strike in the hospitals. Doctors should demand only the possible and must refrain from putting forward a long list of unrealistic demands. These so-called young doctors are pressurising the government to succumb to the latter’s demands, which are almost equal to half of the whole budget of the Punjab government.

The worst thing is that the medical superintendents of public sector hospitals failed to protect poor patients coming from far-flung areas by denying them treatment for the last 10 days. It is my considered opinion that there can be no improvement in public sector hospitals unless we appoint non-doctors as head of the institutions because the current medical superintendents are unable to regulate and control doctors of the hospital. The majority of these doctors are also indulged in private practice and even some go to private clinics during their official duty hours and are not checked for this duplicity of work, because there is no accountability of doctors in the country. The medical profession is a noble service and the YDA should behave responsibly and only demand their just and reasonable demands in the wake of prevailing financial crunch in the country.

FAROOQ BASHIR BUTT

Lahore