QUETTA:
Umair Muhammad Hassani, Adviser to the Caretaker Chief Minister of Balochistan, Ali Mardan Domki, and former provincial minister Amanullah Notezai have been formally booked for their alleged involvement in an attack on the staff of the Trauma Center at Civil Hospital Quetta.
The incident led to the Civil Lines police station initiating a First Information Report (FIR) against the accused. Dr Arbab Kamran Kasi, the head of the Trauma Center, submitted the application that prompted the FIR.
According to Dr Kasi, both Hassani and Notezai instructed their bodyguards to engage in physical violence against the hospital staff.
Despite the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) having a ban on the entry of armed guards, the guards accompanying the accused reportedly disregarded this rule. In an attempt to mitigate the situation, Hassani issued an official statement seeking forgiveness from the hospital staff.
However, this gesture did not prevent Dr Kasi from approaching the police to file an FIR against the accused. In response to the incident, the Young Doctors Association (YDA) initiated a boycott of emergency services and demanded the removal of the adviser, as well as the registration of an FIR against him and the others involved.
The Chief Minister of Balochistan, Ali Mardan Domki, took cognizance of the issue and became actively involved. Caretaker Information Minister Balochistan, Jan Achakzai, intervened by visiting the hospital and conducting negotiations with the protesting health professionals and doctors.
These discussions resulted in a resolution, with Achakzai announcing that the doctors’ grievances had been addressed satisfactorily. He assured that measures would be taken to prevent such incidents from recurring.
Consequently, the doctors decided to end their boycott and resume their vital medical services to the community in need.
