Medical professionals across Balochistan have escalated their protests starting June 12, demanding a judicial investigation and the dismissal of senior health officials following a brutal acid attack on a female doctor in Quetta.
The Young Doctors Association (YDA), Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), and Allied Health Association collectively called for the immediate removal of the provincial health secretary and the Medical Superintendent of Civil Hospital Quetta, accusing them of failing to ensure staff safety.
During a press conference in Quetta on Wednesday, YDA Chairman Dr Abdul Hai Baloch emphasized that hospitals have become dangerously unsafe for doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel. He criticized the government for focusing solely on the upcoming budget instead of addressing urgent security concerns, warning that such negligence will no longer be tolerated.
In a significant development, the joint committee urged the Balochistan assembly to enact protective laws for healthcare workers similar to those recently adopted in Punjab. To reduce public inconvenience during the planned boycotts, Dr Baloch announced that YDA and PMA members would offer free medical services at private hospitals throughout Quetta.
The medical associations also strongly condemned remarks made by Quetta’s Deputy Inspector General of Police regarding the investigation. The DIG had suggested that the suspect had previously sent a marriage proposal to the victim’s home, a claim the PMA’s Dr Bahar Shah described as bizarre and unacceptable.
They demanded the formation of an independent judicial commission to oversee the case and stated they would only accept the results of a proper judicial inquiry. Notably, no government official has reached out to the medical community since the acid attack occurred on Tuesday, prompting the decision to broaden the initially localized Quetta protest into a province-wide movement starting Friday.
