Pakistan cracks down on protesting doctors in Punjab, issues terminations

The government in Pakistan’s Punjab has intensified its crackdown on protesting healthcare workers, issuing a sweeping ban on all visual protest material in public hospitals and firing two more doctors from Nishtar Hospital in Multan for their involvement in the ongoing Grand Health Alliance (GHA) strike.

The Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Department has directed all teaching hospitals across the province to immediately remove banners, posters, and wall chalking linked to health organizations or unions. Administrators were also instructed to block any future visual content promoting protests.

As part of the continuing “disciplinary action”, Dr Salman Lashari of the Nephrology Department and Dr Nadeem Saqib of the Urology Department were dismissed from service on Wednesday. Both were accused of active participation in the GHA-led protest movement, which has disrupted hospital operations across Punjab for weeks.

In a related move, the health department also canceled or postponed the training of several doctors involved in the strike. Those affected include Dr Ahmad Yar from Children’s Hospital Lahore, Dr Salman Ghafoor from Nishtar Hospital, Dr Farrukh Siyal from Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Hospital, and Dr Arif Aziz. Dr Saqib, who was also dismissed, had his training canceled before termination.

Government measures condemned

The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) condemned the government’s measures, calling them punitive and excessive.

“The registration of criminal cases, termination of service, and cancellation of training are acts of victimization, not negotiation,” the PMA said in a statement.

The association urged the Punjab government to engage with the protesting doctors and avoid using force to resolve the dispute.

Health minister defends government stance

At a press conference on Monday at the Punjab Health Initiative Management Company in the provincial capital, Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique defended the government’s handling of the situation and accused the protesters of violence and disruption.

“The protest on Mall Road was not peaceful,” Rafique said, adding that women among the protesters allegedly attacked police with scissors. He said the government had instructed police to manage the situation peacefully.

Rafique reiterated that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s top priority is to improve the healthcare sector, which he said currently has a budget of PKR 530 billion, expected to rise above PKR 600 billion in the next fiscal year.

The minister said the government plans to upgrade 2,500 Basic Health Units (BHUs) in the next three to four months and is working to reduce pressure on major hospitals by improving rural and primary care. He said BHU outsourcing would benefit the public, not harm existing staff, and emphasized that no lady health workers had been terminated.

Rafique criticized the strike’s impact on patients, questioning why outpatient departments (OPDs) had been closed. “Doctors skipping duty will be marked absent,” he warned. He claimed that a few self-interested individuals were harming the reputation of the entire medical community.

He confirmed that detained protesters had been released on government orders but said some groups were continuously provoking confrontation with the state. “This protest is hurting the common man 100 percent,” he said.

“We are showing a great deal of patience, but violations of discipline will not be tolerated,” Rafique said.

Pre-arrest bail granted to GHA leaders

Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism court granted pre-arrest bail to four individuals facing charges related to alleged violence at a recent GHA demonstration at Charing Cross in Lahore.

The court approved bail until May 10 for Dr Salman Haseeb, Dr Rafaqat Ali, Muhammad Imran, and Muhammad Usman, with instructions to cooperate with the police investigation.

The Racecourse police had registered a case against 200 to 300 GHA members after clashes during the protest. Authorities allege the suspects attacked law enforcement officers, prompting the terrorism-related charges.

Punjab opens recruitment for locum doctors

Amid widespread walkouts and administrative suspensions, the provincial government has also moved to fill staffing shortages. The Specialized Healthcare Department has begun fresh recruitment of locum doctors to be temporarily posted at teaching hospitals.

According to an official announcement, qualified medical professionals — including medical officers, senior registrars, and consultants — are invited to apply through the University of Health Sciences (UHS) website. The government has issued eligibility criteria and tasked UHS with managing the registration process.

The department said the locum appointments are necessary to ensure continuity of care at teaching hospitals, which have been hit hard by the protest-led disruptions.

It further said that the services of registered locum doctors will be utilized to address the immediate shortage of professionals in public hospitals.

Why healthcare workers are protesting?

How it all started

The unrest grew after the Punjab government unveiled a plan in March to outsource the management of 2,500 Basic Health Units (BHUs) and 300 Rural Health Centers (RHCs) to private operators.

Moreover, parts of major public hospitals, such as Lahore's Jinnah and Mayo hospitals, will be outsourced, starting with key departments like pathology labs.

"This may look shiny at first, but it's a political gimmick. Those running the BHUs will focus on making profits, and in the end, the public will suffer by paying higher healthcare costs."

Another doctor, also speaking anonymously, expressed fears that the plan would eventually lead to the mass termination or forced resignations of current government health employees.

Punjab's healthcare at a crossroads

Punjab’s ongoing health crisis underscores a fundamental question: Should healthcare remain a public service, or should it be shaped by private market forces under the guise of efficiency?

The government presents its reforms as necessary, but healthcare workers argue that these changes will ultimately harm the very communities the healthcare system is meant to serve.