Faisalabad patients continue to suffer as doctors go on strike

Young doctors, nurses and paramedical staff called a strike on Thursday to protest the privatisation of hospitals in Faisalabad. Hundreds of patients suffered because of the protest, as they were not able to get treatment. The government is privatising all government hospitals under the Medical Teaching Institutes (MTI) Reforms Act, under which hospitals will operate autonomously, and their administration and financing will be free of any political interference. A Grand Health Alliance was formed to pressurise the government to repeal the law, which they say will privatise government-run hospitals. The alliance has decided to go on strike every Tuesday and Thursday until the government retracts its order. Due to the strike, operations theatres, OPDs, and laboratories of all government hospitals in the city remain closed. The Punjab government has decided to meet with the committee to discuss their problems. The protesters voiced fears that if the hospitals were given under private ownership, they would increase medical fees. The doctors feared that they would not have job security and the new management would impose stricter rules on them. Follow SAMAA English on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.