Agitating doctors should be sent to far-flung areas, says LHC

Justice Shahid heard the petitions against lack of facilities in government hospitals.

LAHORE (Dunya news) – The Lahore High Court on Wednesday took exception to protests by doctors and remarked that those who protest should be transferred to faraway places. 

Justice Shahid Karim of the Lahore High Court heard the petitions pointing out a lack of facilities in government hospitals. The court ordered steps to notify the expenses incurred in the hospitals and said the healthcare commission should determine the rates of tests in private hospitals and the registered complaints should also be notified. 

Justice Karim also ordered the inspection of hospitals on a regular basis and said "if anyone has a complaint about a hospital, it should be known that there is a forum for hearing it." 

Punjab Health Secretary Ahmad Javed Qazi submitted a report in court about the improvement of facilities in hospitals and said the process of recruitments for the emergency departments had started. “Advertisements were issued for recruitment against various posts and a permanent committee had been formed to monitor the hospitals,” he added. 

Justice Karim remarked that Mr Qazi’s performance was satisfactory. 

During the hearing, the court also gave remarks about the protesting doctors and wondered why doctors were in a protest mode. "There is no room for the protesters and the adamant ones should be sent to faraway places to serve," he said. He deplored that the teaching hospitals were not providing facilities in the listed hospitals in line with law. Steps should be taken to regularise inspection for implementation of guidelines and inform the court if there is budget issue,” he added. 

The Lahore High Court directed the Healthcare Commission to maintain an effective system for hearing of complaints and adjourned further hearing of the case for two weeks.