Rawalpindi, April 30
The ongoing doctors' strike at all three major government hospitals in Pakistan's Rawalpindi left thousands of patients distressed in the city.
The Young Doctors Association (YDA) have been on strike since last week in protest against the Punjab government's plan to outsource public hospitals.
The protesting doctors boycotted the Outpatient Departments (OPDs) services at Holy Family Hospital (HFH), Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), and Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital (RTH) Raja Bazaar on the call of the YDA Punjab, according to local media reports.
The protest brought OPD services to a standstill as patients at the three hospitals continue to suffer. The officials from the divisional administration visited the hospitals but reportedly did little to engage the Young Doctors Association (YDA) to resume services at the OPDs, quoting sources.
The patients at Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital criticised the strike, saying that the government had failed to provide better healthcare despite its claims, adding that doctors often go on strike every month.
"Mostly the poor come to government-run hospitals for medical treatment, but there are no facilities here," said Riaz Khan, a patient at BBH.