Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab continued their sit-in protest at Lahore’s Club Chowk on Friday for the fourth day, boycotting duties as patients faced immense distress due to absence of medical treatment.
The young doctors and nurses boycotted OPDs at the Mayo Hospital and have been protesting on Mall Road throughout this week.
YDA spokesman Dr. Khurram Shehzad said the strike would continue till the restoration of sacked doctors at the Mayo Hospital.
Authorities said that the doctors were sacked because they misbehaved with patients.
Two patients die, residents suffer
A one-year-old girl who had been in the hospital for the past four days died on Thursday.
Her family claimed that she did not receive medical care.
Another patient died on Thursday, allegedly due to not having received timely medical care.
Over 15,000 patients have been suffering due to the ongoing strike. Many patients, along with their attendants, were seen uttering harsh words for the protesting doctors.
They said doctors should not involve themselves in such practices as their duty is to give priority to treating the patients.
The Mayo Hospital administration called over medical students to tend to patients in the Emergency ward, after failing to summon the protesting doctors and nurses to the hospital.
Traffic jams
The doctors’ sit-in at Club Chowk caused heavy traffic jam on Mall Road, Davis Road, Canal Road and Garhi Shahu, disrupting public life. Many ambulances got stuck in the traffic jam due to road blockades.
Angry residents said the protesting doctors misbehaved with them when they asked for a way out of the jam.
They said that the protesting doctors and nurses have brought blankets with them, and were seen breakfasting and taking selfies in the morning while the rest of the city suffered.
The residents demanded that the authorities take strict action against the protestors for creating difficulties for the public.
Meanwhile, the authorities have issued one last warning to the protesting doctors and nurses to return to their duties - so far to no avail.