LAHORE, March 3: Punjab Health Secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad has ordered compilation of a list of ‘miscreant young doctors’ who instigate their colleagues to agitate to press the government for their demands, sources told Dawn on Thursday. The instructions, meant for medical superintendents of all the teaching and district hospitals, were issued at a meeting attended by the heads of the health institutions of the city, held at the health secretary’s office on Wednesday.

The ‘most wanted’ doctors include those forcing emergency departments and operation theatres to close, denying critical care to patients, locking out-door and in-door departments and misbehaving with patients and their attendants.

A source said, initially, the health secretary had received names of the ‘trouble-making’ doctors of two teaching hospitals -- Jinnah and Services Hospital -- while the heads of other institutions were reluctant to share such information with their boss, fearing even stronger agitation by their colleagues.

Mr Fawad who was unhappy over the agitation call given by Young Doctors Association’s Punjab chapter had called the meeting to review the healthcare arrangements at the public sector facilities during the YDA protest.

According to an insider, it was suggested by some health officials that an exemplary disciplinary action should be taken against YDA activists, especially its office-bearers, who actively participated in the protest and instigated their colleagues to go on a strike.

Mr Fawad directed the medical superintendents to mention complete profile of the ‘troublemakers’ in the list, including their designation, place of posting (departments), their supervisors, academic career, institutions from where they did their MBBS and the districts they belonged to. According to sources, Jinnah Hospital MS Dr Hasan provided a list of 13 doctors to the health department, including YDA president, vice-president (of Jinnah chapter) and two students of Allama Iqbal Medical College principal and professor of medicine Dr Javed Akram.

Similarly, Services Hospital MS Dr Muhammad Javed submitted a list of 15 doctors, including YDA Punjab president Dr Hamid Butt, who was posted at the same health facility, besides the association’s Services Hospital chapter president and vice-president.

Meanwhile, the Children Hospital and Lahore General Hospital managements reportedly also informed the health secretary verbally about some YDA activists found actively involved in ‘politics’.

A source said the health department would initially issue show-cause notices to the ‘listed’ doctors before taking any action against them. The department would also put pressure on the supervisors of these doctors to initiate action against them at departmental level. The punishments would be given to the doctors keeping in view the gravity of the charges, if proven, against them, he added.

The minimum penalty, he said, would be transfer of such doctors to far-flung areas. It had been decided that the ‘guilty’ doctors would be transferred to their native districts from the teaching hospitals or their postings would be made at health facilities at tehsil level, he added.

The source said a meeting between the health secretary and the YDA office-bearers held late on Thursday night to resolve the issue amicably remained inconclusive.