Your opinion as a neutral third party:)

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Am not sure if this has been discussed.

If you people do follow the news you must have heard that the young doctors of Punjaban in Pakistan, have been on a strike for the last 35 days. They have been struggling to have their salaries increased for the past few months but nobody paid heed - that is until they closed the EMERGENCIES of the Govt. Hospitals.

My question: what is your take on that? Is this ethical? Is the govt responsible or the doctors are being inhuman too??

background: a doctor in Pakistan is paid Rs. 22 000 with about 72 hours of continuous on calls in a week…apart from the usual 8 hours daily shifts.

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Re: Your opinion as a neutral third party:)

Salaries are definitely low but when doctors picked that profession as their careers, thy picked it with all things known. They are responsible for saving human lives and not treating patients till they salaries are increased in not ethical.

Its like me knowing that a police man makes 5000 a month and I knowingly get that job and then go on strike that I wont catch criminals till you increase my salary. Sounds stupid, right. Same with the doctors.

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Re: Your opinion as a neutral third party:)

^TLK bhai...yes I do agree but we all know doctors elsewhere in the world are probably the highest paid amongst other professions.

So why should those who do try to stay in Pakistan and serve there be under-paid and yet the most over-worked

I think the Govt is being downright outrageous at the moment.
Closing down emergencies was a total wrong thing to do as well. But then again it's Pakistan - jahan 'laaton k bhoot baaton se nahi mantay'

but eventually the ones suffering are the poor sick patients :/ who would be responsible for their lives ?!

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Re: Your opinion as a neutral third party:)

I respect doctors a lot and believe that they should be well compensated for what they do, there is no denying that.

My point is that all these doctors went into Govt hospital jobs knowingly that what the compensation package is. No one begged them or twisted their arm to join govt service.

Closing down emergency rooms is totally unethical. I say that if something happens to a patient, its the doctors who are responsible for his/her life

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Re: Your opinion as a neutral third party:)

i agree the salaries are slow for doctors, so they are for (almost) everyone...
govt had many times agreed to give raise once the health budget is handed over to provinces this year in july/ august (as part of implementing 18th or 19th amendment which was passed last year), their point was that they will only be able to commit on actual amount once they know how much amount fed govt is going to give the province for health budget. govt also agreed to give interim/ comparatively smaller increase until this happens, but docs showed no compromise and acted very unprofessionally in this case. you may have heard some of them chanting "nayaab hain hum" in their protests. clearly shows they were blackmailing.

and one thing, these were not all the doctors, almost half of what workforce they have. when govt called docs from rural areas to look after emergency departments, first they worked for 2 days, after that they were also threatened by the docs on strike and they also stopped working

also i believe govt mishandled the case. they could have issued a general order or they could have issued a press release showing their commitment to increase salaries as soon as they get the budget. and also they could have made public the interim increase which they were offering. but when people like Rana Sanaullah are into negotiations, you should not expect anything good.

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Re: Your opinion as a neutral third party:)

Aceones has summed up well.

In short, qualified young doctor's protest is valid. Last year jump increase in pays of security forces ( Police, armed forces) and govt offers were good. But these doctors are unable to draw good salaries yet have to work on hectic schedule.

Govt is right for asking time till next budget because of scarce resource.

Now both parties have come to table number of time but issue is not resolved yet. It is a fact that punjab govt has taken some good step to improve health infrastructure in province during last 3 years. But still (young ) doctors pay is quite low by any means.

These were the pros here are cons

Govt is not willing to right down its pledge on paper even after 35 days of protest.

Doctors should never have left emergency, which they did and it was wrong. Apparently they have come to senses and returned back to their duty in emergencies in hospitals

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Re: Your opinion as a neutral third party:)

I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:

I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.

I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s
drug.

I will not be ashamed to say “I know not,” nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient’s recovery.

I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given to me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.

I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person’s family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.

I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.

If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.

They should read it twice a day - prescribed by me :emmy:

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Re: Your opinion as a neutral third party:)

In my opinion Pakistan should charge an export fee for all the trained doctors they have sent overseas...........

as a neutral third party and beneficiary of the brain drain from third World countries, USA, England and the rest who drain the talent aught to pay an excise duty to Pakistan schools and institutions for the talented workers.

I thought even a mistri i.e. brick layer makes Rs 1000/- per day in Pakistan.

The doctors deserve better than a brick layer!