LALAMUSA: Doctors from the Gujranwala and Gujrat divisions on Sunday held a convention to protest what they termed degrading actions and harassment by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), warning that private hospitals in Gujrat and Sialkot could be closed as an initial protest measure.
The convention was organised under the joint banner of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Pakistan Healthcare Association, and Pakistan Islamic Medical Association.
Presiding over the gathering, PMA Punjab President Dr Maqsood Zahid was joined by representatives of doctors’ associations from Gujrat, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, and Hafizabad. Speakers strongly criticised the FBR, accusing it of maintaining an insulting attitude towards doctors and claiming that members of the medical community were being targeted through false allegations and negative media campaigns.
They stressed that doctors had served the nation during its most difficult times and did not deserve such treatment.
As part of the first phase of protest, the participants announced that all private hospitals in Gujrat and Sialkot would remain closed. They further warned that if the alleged harassment by FBR officials continued, the protest would be expanded across Punjab, potentially resulting in the closure of private hospitals throughout the province.
