PMA Condemns ‘Harassment’ of Doctors, Warns FIRs May Force Refusal of Critical Cases
Medical bodies led by the Pakistan Medical Association have strongly condemned what they called a hostile work environment for doctors, warning that harassment, violence and the registration of criminal cases will force doctors to stop taking critical cases.
The PMA said FIRs against doctors, including murder charges over clinical outcomes, had created an atmosphere of fear across hospitals. Representatives told Dawn that physicians may be forced to refuse high-risk patients if the trend continues.
The incidents behind the PMA protest
The association spoke out against the backdrop of recent incidents: the alleged assault on a female doctor in Lahore, FIRs against 27 doctors of Liaquat University Hospital in Hyderabad, and a court case against medics at the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi.
Describing the situation as alarming, the PMA said it pointed to the rapid deterioration and imminent collapse of Pakistan’s healthcare delivery system.
“Healthcare professionals across the country are operating in an unprecedented atmosphere of psychological dread, public humiliation and administrative persecution that is driving senior specialists and young medical officers to abandon clinical practice or leave the country altogether,” said Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro of the Pakistan Medical Association.
Why FIRs against doctors are rising
Dr Shoro said the practice of medicine in Pakistan was being systematically criminalised. “Physicians, surgeons, and trainees who dedicate their lives to managing critical, high-risk cases are now routinely targeted with murder charges and astronomical civil damage suits for natural clinical outcomes beyond human control,” he said.
He pointed to recent judicial orders in which non-bailable arrest warrants were issued simultaneously against entire hospital units, from senior professors and department heads to registrars, postgraduate trainees and house officers.
“How can a doctor treat a critically ill patient with peace of mind when facing the constant threat of a murder FIR, non-bailable arrest warrants, and public degradation?” he asked.
He also criticised the bypassing of technical evaluation. Instead of referring clinical complaints to legally mandated healthcare commissions or peer-review medical boards, cases were funnelled directly into criminal courts, exposing doctors to police raids and arbitrary detention “for simply performing their duties in under-resourced hospitals”.
Defensive medicine and the cost to patients
The PMA warned that hostility is already changing how doctors practise. “Traumatised and fearful of criminal prosecution, physicians are forced to practice ‘defensive medicine’, hesitating to undertake high-risk, life-saving procedures or accept critically ill patients,” Dr Shoro said. The ultimate victim, he added, is the patient, who faces delayed care and compromised emergency services. He said the environment was forcing healthcare professionals to leave the country in record numbers.
The warning lands at a difficult moment for the health sector. The Supreme Court has separately ordered tighter hospital oversight in a medical negligence ruling, while an inquiry was ordered after bandages were left inside a woman for a year at an AJK hospital. The PMA’s position is that accountability must run through medical boards and healthcare commissions, not police stations.
What the PMA is demanding
Dr Shoro called on the prime minister, the chief justice and all provincial governments to act. The demands include a ban on Section 302/322 PPC charges or arrest warrants against medical staff without prior technical clearance by healthcare commissions or independent medical boards, and full implementation of healthcare protection acts across all provinces.
The association also wants non-technical bureaucrats removed from healthcare leadership, with qualified medical professionals restored to key roles. That demand echoes the sector’s wider instability, with Momin Agha becoming the ninth health secretary in 19 months. Finally, it demanded a halt to FBR raids on medical services and a rationalisation of taxes on medical care. The government has separately dismissed 30 doctors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over fake PMDC registrations.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the PMA protesting against FIRs against doctors?
The PMA says doctors face harassment, violence and criminal cases, including murder charges under Sections 302/322 PPC over clinical outcomes. It warns this will force doctors to refuse critical cases.
What incidents triggered the PMA statement?
The PMA cited the alleged assault on a female doctor in Lahore, FIRs against 27 doctors of Liaquat University Hospital Hyderabad, and a court case against medics at Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi.
What is ‘defensive medicine’?
Defensive medicine is when doctors, fearing prosecution, avoid high-risk procedures or refuse critically ill patients to protect themselves legally. The PMA says this leads to delayed care and weaker emergency services.
What action does the PMA want?
The PMA wants a ban on criminal charges against medical staff without clearance from healthcare commissions or medical boards, full implementation of healthcare protection acts, qualified doctors in health leadership, and an end to FBR raids on medical services.
