LAHORE: Hundreds of patients, especially those who had come from far-flung districts of the province, were denied treatment at outpatient departments of Mayo and Jinnah hospitals due to a strike by a group of young doctors on Monday.

More than 3,500 patients visit the outpatient departments of Mayo Hospital and around 2,000 of Jinnah Hospital on an average daily.

The number however increases on the first working day of the week, according to administrations of the two public health facilities.

Headed by Dr Shaharyar Niazi, members of a faction of the Young Doctors Association (YDA) started gathering outside the main gate of Mayo Hospital OPD at around 8.30am. They closed all OPD doors while barring the para-medical staff, deputed to issue prescription slips to patients, besides the patients from entering the premises where a majority of OPD doctors were present.

The protesting doctors at Jinnah Hospital would either themselves examine the elderly and children or allow them entry to the OPDwhere a number of doctors belonging to the rival group or the neutral lot were available.

The YDA`s Dr Shaharyar Niazi group had announced holding a demonstration on The Mall on Monday to protest against what they said the indifference of the health department towards the `hooliganism` of the other group at the Mayo Hospital on Saturday.

However, the plan was changed at the eleventh hour as most of doctors belonging to the rival group or the neutral lot was present inside the OPD.

Carrying banners inscribed with the demand for reinstatement of Dr Shaharyar and others, the protesters continued marching in front of the OPD till 11am.

They chanted slogans against the health department and the Mayo Hospital administration for not taking action against Dr Shoaib and his accomplices for thrashing Dr Shaharyar and his friends without any provocation, inflicting injuries on them.

The YDA`s Punjab central leadership preferred to remain silent on the growing tension between the two factions of the association.