RAWALPINDI - The Young Doctors Association (YDA) of Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) on Thursday staged a massive protest demonstration agaisnt unjustified termination of a PGT doctor for speaking about shortage of oxygen in Peads Emergency and other health facilities in the hospital that led to deaths of new born babies. The doctors left examining the ailing children in Peads Emergency and OPD and announced a complete strike. Holding placards mentioning slogan “Justice for Dr Mudassir” the very charged protestors including female doctors marched in the various departments of hospital and later on proceeded towrads Murree Road where they staged a sit in under the leadership of YDA BBH President Dr Wilayat. They also chanted slogans against caretaker Chief Minister Punjab and Health Secretary and urged them to restore PGT Dr Hafiz Mudassir Ali. A traffic jam also occured on the occasion due to mess of doctors on Murree Road. The patients and the attendants suffered a lot due to strike and protest demonstration of doctors. YDA also announced to close all the OPDs of hospital today (Friday) except the emergency wards. Talking to The Nation, a young doctor said that on Wednesday a delegation of PGTs and Senior Registrars visited office of MS BBH and tabled before him the signed slips/ written complaints by the serving doctors about shortage of oxygen in Peads ER/ NICU and PICU of hospital in order to prove Dr Hafiz Mudassir Ali as not-guilty, who was terminated by the Punjab government on recommendations of a three member committee. He said that the MS of BBH had not taken the matter seriously which made the young doctors infuriated and they went on strike and staged a protest for forcing the government to reinstate PGT doctor. 

Another female PGT was of view that the Punjab government and the hospital management staged a big drama by installing oxygen cylinders in the hospital on that day the video went viral on social media Dr Mudassir showing while advising grandmother of a newborn baby to shift him to some other hospital’s nursery as BBH was facing shortage of oxygen. The next day all the cylinders were picked up again by the hospital management after showing them to media and other government high ups. She said that the government had not withdrawn the termination order of PGT Dr Hafiz Mudassir Ali sparking unrest among the YDA. Many other doctors said that PGT Dr Hafiz Mudassir Ali is innocent and he did what he should have done during the tense situation when the parents of newborn babies were quarrelling with the doctors and paramedics because of shortage of oxygen.