At least 10 doctors were injured and 15 arrested during a protest at one of Peshawar’s biggest public sector hospitals on Friday, a private TV channel reported.
Doctors and paramedics were protesting at Lady Reading Hospital against the establishment of district and regional health authorities giving financial and administrative autonomy to hospitals at district level. The doctors oppose the move and have called it the privatisation of public health facilities’.
During the protest at Lady Reading Hospital, the police were deployed to stop the protesters. They began beating them with batons and shelling. Several doctors were injured.
Among the injured was Young Doctors Association (YDA) Chairman Dr Zubair, who is reportedly in critical condition, the association’s spokesperson Dr Izhar said. YDA President Dr Rizwan Kundi’s arm was also allegedly fractured after police used force to stop the demonstration.
More than 15 protesters had been arrested, including paramedics and female nurses, the spokesperson claimed.
Talking to a private TV channel about the clashes, Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations) Zahoor Babar Afridi said that the police had resorted to force in a bid to control the situation. He said that about eight police officers had been injured by stone pelting by doctors and that 13 protesters were detained.
Doctors across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been protesting for the past two days against the Regional and District Health Authorities Act, 2019 – which was passed by the provincial assembly today – which they describe as “nothing short of privatisation of government hospitals”. They had announced to gather in Peshawar today to protest against the law.
Following the announcement, the district administration had imposed Article 144 in the LRH premises on the request of the hospital’s administration, forbidding more than five doctors from gathering in one place. The administration of the hospital had also advised doctors to carry their hospital identity cards with them at all times as they were not to be allowed to enter the hospital premises without them.
The hospital spokesperson had also announced that the administration will not allow anyone to protest and strict action would be taken against those who disobeyed orders. Heavy contingents of police were also deployed outside LRH.
After the clashes, the protesters staged a sit-in on GT Road, near the KP Assembly. According to the doctors, they had not been consulted by authorities in the drafting of the bill.
Following the clashes, the Grand Health Alliance (GHA) announced that it would shut down outpatient clinics in hospitals all over the province for an indefinite period of time.
Under the Regional and District Health Authorities Act, 2019, that was passed by the KP Assembly, health authorities will be established by the government at regional and district levels. The federal and provincial government will provide funds to each authority that will report to a policy board chaired by KP health minister. The regional authorities will have the power to ensure that objectives set by Regional Health Authority (RHA) are achieved and oversee effective management and issue strategic directions to health facilities in the assigned region; approve budget of RHA and allocate funds to health facilities; oversee health service delivery; implement government policies and directions; ensure that its programmes are effective and efficient, and ensure transparency.