LARKANA – The Pakistan Medical Association Sindh chapter on Saturday threatened to launch a province-wide boycott of hospitals and clinics against the rising abduction and killing of doctors.
Addressing a news conference in Larkana, PMA Sindh chief Dr Samrina Hashmi said the provincial government had failed to provide security and protection to the medical fraternity. So far, 4,000 doctors and medical practitioners had left the country for the fear of kidnapping and killing, she said while adding that over 2,000 leave applications had been submitted to the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) for approval. She said that doctors were the asset of the country and their services should have been utilised for the Pakistani nation.
Samrina alleged that of five doctors kidnapped for ransom, one, Prof Aftab Qureshi, was killed because of the ill-planning of the Sindh Police and administration. “Three of them are still in the captivity of abductors,” she added.
The PMA Sindh head further said that 3,000 medical posts were lying vacant but the government was not making recruitments to meet the shortage in hospitals across the province.
Speaking at the press conference, former Sindh Health director general and PMA General Secretary Dr Hadi Bux Jatoi alleged that the government was inefficient and non-serious and that billions of rupees were misappropriated by corrupt CSP officials in procuring health equipment. He also pointed that latest equipment worth billion of rupees was installed at the Hyderabad LMC that had no cardiac surgeon.
He also criticised the role of the PPHI for neglecting basic health units and rural health centres, for failing to provide adequate health services and minting big bucks through providing substandard medicines.
Prior to the press conference, the PMA Sindh Council held a meeting with Dr Samrina Hashmi in the chair. SMBBMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Akber Hyder Soomro, Larkana CMC Medical Superintendent Dr Ashfaq Memon, PMA Sindh Joint Secretary Dr Sharif Pirzado, Dr Shah Baig Chandio, Dr Afsar Bhutto, Dr Ikram Tunio, Dr Anil, Dr Bhagwandas and others attended the meeting.