Karachi: Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) organized a seminar at PIMA House under the title “From Whom Should Healers Seek Healing?” in protest against the acid attack on Dr. Mahnoor and the increasing incidents of harassment of doctors and healthcare workers in hospitals.
The seminar was presided by PIMA Central President Dr. Atif Hafeez Siddiqui, PIMA Women Wing Central President Dr. Zakia Aurangzeb, Acting President PIMA Karachi Dr. Saqib Hussain Ansari, PIMA Women Wing Karachi representative Dr. Javeria Sikandar, President of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Karachi Dr. Ismail Memon, former PMA Secretary Dr. Qaiser Sajjad, Consultant Gynecologist Dr. Samrina Hashmi, President of Young Doctors Association Sindh Dr. Waris Jakhrani, Patron-in-Chief of YDA Pakistan Dr. Umar Sultan, President of Pakistan Headache Society Dr. Abdul Malik, Secretary of Pakistan Pediatric Association Dr. Mohsina Noor Ibrahim, Dr. Tazeen Abbas from the Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and President of Young Nursing Association Shahid Iqbal.
Addressing the seminar, PIMA Central President Dr. Atif Hafeez Siddiqui said that the healthcare sector has come under the control of capitalists and industrialists, and that the elite do not want ordinary citizens to have access to quality healthcare services. He said that legislation against the harassment of doctors in hospitals and measures to ensure the protection of healthcare workers are urgently needed.
He demanded the immediate reinstatement of the doctors in Balochistan who were suspended for protesting against the acid attack on Dr. Mahnoor. He stated that doctors are raising their voices for their rights, and the government cannot suppress them through force.
He further said that violence against doctors, harassment of healthcare workers, and damage to hospital property should be punishable offenses. Healthcare workers should be provided security in hospitals and healthcare facilities so that doctors can treat patients with concentration and peace of mind instead of working in fear.
Dr. Atif said that a doctor’s responsibility is to examine the patient and prescribe treatment, while the provision of hospital beds, facilities, and medicines is the responsibility of the government, not the duty doctor.
Dr. Atif further demanded an end to workplace harassment of doctors and the misuse of authority. He said that photography and videography of doctors during duty hours inside hospitals and healthcare facilities should be prohibited. He also demanded that no FIR should be registered against a doctor without proceedings through the Health Commission. In addition, he called for an end to the exploitation of young doctors and an increase in their salaries. Government representatives should refrain from unprofessional interference in sensitive and highly specialized medical matters. He also demanded strict government action against those spreading misleading propaganda on social media against scientific and evidence-based medical treatment.
PIMA Women Wing President Dr. Zakia Aurangzeb said that trainee doctors receive extremely low salaries. Doctors who work 36 to 38-hour shifts do not get proper rest, but if they take even a few moments to rest, videos are recorded and circulated.
She said that female doctors also face incidents of harassment. In the case of Dr. Mahnoor, the core issue is the safety and protection of doctors, which must be addressed. She added that the country already faces a shortage of doctors, and if violence and attempted murder against doctors continue, the shortage will become even more severe in the future.
President of PMA Karachi Dr. Ismail Memon said that doctors were united in the past and remain united today. He stated that he had met Dr. Mah Noor’s father, who said that parents go through immense hardships to educate their children, but incidents like this make it difficult to send daughters to hospitals for work. He said that the government must clearly assure doctors that they will be provided protection. Otherwise, the Joint Action Committee will be reactivated and a protest movement will be launched.
Dr. Tazeen Abbas of the Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology said that doctors serve patients day and night but do not receive protection in return. Security for doctors in hospitals has become a major issue.
Consultant Gynecologist Dr. Samrina Hashmi said that a woman has to overcome many challenges to become a doctor, yet doctors today are facing criminal cases being registered against them in broad daylight. She said that anyone who wishes can harass doctors, and this situation must come to an end.
Representing the PIMA Karachi Female Wing, Dr. Javeria Sikandar said that young doctors are leaving the country because they face basic issues, including a lack of security. The government should focus on protecting the doctors already serving the country rather than merely creating more seats, as doctors are being forced to leave due to these unfavorable conditions.
President of Young Doctors Association Sindh Dr. Waris Jakhrani said that this is not only a Karachi issue but a nationwide problem. Doctors in government hospitals are being treated unfairly. The government must be compelled to address the problems of doctors and reform the healthcare system.
YDA Patron-in-Chief Dr. Umar Sultan said that the Dr. Mahnoor incident reflects administrative failure. Laws regarding the protection of healthcare workers must be implemented, and salaries should be increased from house officers to professors.
Acting President of PIMA Karachi Dr. Saqib Hussain Ansari said that when doctors see no one speaking up for them, they are compelled to come forward themselves. He said doctors must unite and that this seminar should become a movement. He emphasized that their single-point demand is protection for doctors.
Former PMA Secretary Dr. Qaiser Sajjad called for a judicial inquiry into the Dr. Mah Noor case and said that the motives behind the death of the acid attack suspect should be brought to light. He added that doctors are leaving the country because they lack mental peace and security here.
President of the Pakistan Headache Society Dr. Abdul Malik said that this seminar would be transformed into a movement and that the Joint Action Committee would be activated to take doctors’ issues to government authorities and seek their resolution.
President of the Young Nursing Association Shahid Iqbal emphasized the need for a joint struggle to resolve the issues faced by healthcare workers and assured that the nursing community of Sindh would stand alongside doctors in this collective effort.