The JDF is a joint venture of the Provincial Doctors Association (PDA), Young Doctors Association, Insaf Doctors Association, Pakistan Islamic Medical Association, Islamic Doctors Forum K-P, Peoples Doctors Forum and Malgari Doctoran formed to protect their interests. STOCK IMAGE
Members of the association maintained that they will never accept the Health Care Commission Bill 2015 and will agitate against the government if it enacts the bill.
“We have decided to gather outside the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) and march towards the provincial assembly,” PDA chairman Dr Shah Sarwar said. “All clinics will remain closed on Friday.”
He added that if the government does not accept their demands, doctors will be forced to opt for extreme measures.
Earlier, on Wednesday, members of the Joint Doctors Forum (JDF) protested against proposed legislation in the health sector.
They also threatened to hold a sit-in outside the K-P Assembly if their demands were not met within two days. The demonstrators chanted slogans against the government and Health Commission Care Bill 2015 which was tabled in the assembly on Tuesday.
Under the legislation, the HRA will be replaced by the Health Care Commission and a ban will be imposed on government doctors’ practice in their private clinics.
Earlier, the PDA had set January 1 as the deadline for protests across the province, however, the association postponed the strike call in the aftermath of the December 16 Army Public School massacre.
The JDF is a joint venture of the Provincial Doctors Association (PDA), Young Doctors Association, Insaf Doctors Association, Pakistan Islamic Medical Association, Islamic Doctors Forum K-P, Peoples Doctors Forum and Malgari Doctoran formed to protect their interests.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 9th, 2015.
COMMENTS (2)
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'Under the legislation, the HRA will be replaced by the Health Care Commission and a ban will be imposed on government doctors’ practice in their private clinics'.
I understand they want to make money through private practice. The problem is that it affects their day job at hospitals. Anyway, should try to find a middle way.
It is a good legislation because private practice makes these doctors rich while the patients suffer. The reason for suffering is because of negligence towards patients because doctors have to either leave early for private hospital and at times are too tired to give more patient per patient. If they are so willing to do kidmat-e-khalaq then do overtime sarkari job on less pay.