Doctors, nurses strike disrupts Punjab hospital services

KARACHI: Patients visiting public hospitals in Punjab are facing problems as the strike by the Young Doctors Association and nurses in various cities continues disrupting healthcare delivery in the province.

Because of the strike, government hospitals' outpatient departments (OPDs) in different cities, including Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, and Sargodha remain closed.

The medical professional had announced a strike in protest against the arrests of some senior doctors following the Sahiwal Teaching Hospital fire incident and the detention of a nurse at Khanewal DHQ hospital after the death of three children allegedly caused by her negligence.

The strike observed on the YDA call has significantly impacted services at Nishtar Hospital and Multan District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital.

In Faisalabad, young doctors are protesting at teaching hospitals, including Allied Hospital, while in Bahawalpur and Sargodha, they have boycotted outdoor services.

The protesting medics demand the release of the nurse arrested in Khanewal and action against those responsible for the doctors’ arrests in Sahiwal, insisting that medical professionals should not be targeted for “political revenge”.