QUETTA: The Young Doctors Action Committee (YDAC) Balochistan has announced an indefinite boycott of Out-Patient Departments (OPDs) and elective services across all government hospitals in the province, including Quetta, starting tomorrow.
The strike will remain in place until their safety demands are met and security conditions in healthcare facilities are visibly improved.
Speaking at a press conference in Quetta, YDAC Balochistan Chairman Dr. Tahir Musa Khel strongly condemned the recent horrific acid attack on Dr. Mahnoor at Civil Hospital Quetta.
He revealed that this was not an isolated incident, noting that just prior to this attack, another female doctor was physically assaulted and maltreated in the gynecology department.
Dr. Musa Khel highlighted that doctors serving in the remote and far-flung areas of the province face immense hardships and severe security threats, adding that numerous similar incidents in hospitals have gone unreported.
While acknowledging that bringing the perpetrator to justice was necessary, the YDAC chairman expressed concerns that the killing of the primary accused, Humayun Shah, has raised several questions and suspicions surrounding the incident.
He demanded an impartial, transparent, and high-level investigation into the entire matter to uncover the facts.
Furthermore, the committee urged the government to ensure comprehensive and state-of-the-art medical treatment for the victim, Dr. Mahnoor, and demanded that the treatment expenses for the injured medical technician, Abdul Razzaq, be fully covered by the state.
Dr. Musa Khel emphasized that the government must immediately formulate a comprehensive security framework to guarantee the safety of doctors and medical staff in all public hospitals across Balochistan.
