YDA Balochistan announces boycott of OPDs, elective services in public hospitals

By Asmat Sumalani

QUETTA: The Young Doctors Association (YDA) Balochistan on Sunday announced an indefinite boycott of outpatient departments (OPDs) and elective services in public hospitals across the province from Monday, as doctors launched province-wide protests following an acid attack on a female medic at Quetta’s Civil Hospital.

The YDA and the Young Doctors Action Committee organised protest rallies in Quetta and other cities on Sunday, demanding the immediate removal of the provincial health secretary and the medical superintendent of Civil Hospital over alleged criminal negligence regarding staff security.

Dr Mah Noor Nasir, a young doctor, was targeted in an acid attack during her shift on Friday. Hospital sources in Karachi, where she was airlifted for specialised treatment, confirmed she sustained 13 per cent burns. While she is out of immediate danger and her eyesight remains intact despite corneal clouding, she requires extensive plastic surgery, doctors said.

Addressing a press conference in Quetta on Sunday, Young Doctors Action Committee head Dr Tahir Musa Khel described a deteriorating environment for doctors and healthcare workers in both remote and urban areas.

“Doctors are being treated with utter disregard. Before the acid attack on Dr Mah Noor, another female doctor in the gynaecology department had her hair pulled and was physically assaulted,” Musa Khel said. “We demand a comprehensive security plan for all government hospitals. We cannot work in fear for our lives.”

The strike comes despite the provincial government’s announcement that the assailant, identified as Humayun Shah, was killed by security forces within 30 minutes of the attack. However, the medical community has expressed skepticism over the swift “liquidation” of the suspect.

“The killing of the suspect has raised doubts rather than closing the matter,” Musa Khel said, calling for an impartial judicial inquiry to determine whether others were involved or if the motive went beyond a random act of violence.

Earlier, Adviser to the Balochistan Home Department Babar Khan Yousafzai urged doctors to show restraint and return to work, arguing that a boycott would only punish poor patients.

Yousafzai maintained that the attacker was “brought to his logical end” after attempting to assault the honour of a female medic. He clarified that providing security inside hospital wards is the responsibility of the hospital administration and health department, and not the police, who are stationed only at external gates.

Earlier, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti announced a civil award for Abdul Razzaq, a medical technician who was injured while intervening and saving Dr Mah Noor from more severe injuries.

Dr Mah Noor, who sustained 13 per cent burn injuries, is being treated in Karachi under state-funded specialised care and is said to be in stable condition. Abdul Razzaq, the technician injured during the rescue, has also been nominated for a civil award by the Balochistan government.

The YDA has vowed to continue the sit-in outside the Quetta Press Club until its administrative demands — specifically the removal of the health secretary — are met. Chief Minister Bugti is expected to meet a delegation of doctors upon his return to Quetta on Tuesday.

The post YDA Balochistan announces boycott of OPDs, elective services in public hospitals appeared first on HUM News English.