The OPD boycott is temporarily suspended by young physicians at Jinnah Hospital in Karachi.
Young doctors at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) have temporarily canceled their boycott of outpatient departments (OPDs) following four days of demonstrations. The decision comes after the health secretary and hospital management promised that a number of their main demands will be met.
The demonstration started after a doctor was beaten by the caretakers of a dead patient in the hospital’s intensive care unit. The incident was denounced by the Young Doctors Association (YDA), who also called for the perpetrators to face consequences. The YDA emphasized in a statement the necessity of enhanced hospital security and accountability.
According to YDA Chairman Dr. Farrukh, the government has consented to rescind Dr. Yaseen’s termination, detain individuals responsible for the intensive care unit event, and drop the FIRs against physicians. Although OPD services have begun, he stressed that if all promises are not kept, the protest will go on.
Patient care was severely disrupted by the YDA’s protest, as many patients were unable to obtain treatment while the boycott was in effect. To avoid more turmoil, the group has encouraged the administration to swiftly put the agreed-upon measures into effect.
