LAHORE: Denial of treatment to a fellow forced transvestites to curse Young Doctors Association (YDA) activists and stage a demonstration at the Jinnah Hospital on Monday.

Three transgender people had brought one of their elderly fellows to the outpatient department (OPD) at around 9am. They had hardly obtained a prescription slip from the counter when a youth in white coat asked them to go away as doctors were observing strike.

The youth in white coat snatched the slip from one of them and threw it in the dustbin after tearing it up when they (the transvestites) insisted on seeing some senior doctor.

This infuriated them and they started cursing the YDA strikers while coming out of the OPD. They also started contacting other fellows by cellular phones and within minutes more than 20 transvestites gathered outside the OPD and started chanting slogans against young doctors.

The `khailain gae na khailney dain gae`fame’ YDA activist appeared from nowhere to pacify the protesters and served them with soft drinks but to no avail. The protesters did accept the soft drinks but continued to curse the YDA strikers.

A large number of patients and their attendants also gathered around the protesting transvestites who were not ready to call off their protest till medical examination and provision of free medicine to their ailing fellow.

“We have been visiting [this] hospital for the last four days and every time told that the doctors are on strike,” said a protester Saima.

Another Saima was quick to add: “You would have seen us seeking alms at the intersections when the traffic signal turns red. It is our only source of income now-a-days. Today we were asked to go to some private clinic. We cannot even think of visiting a private clinic.”

Apparently, it was a senior lady police officer who reached the spot along with her subordinates, held dialogue with the transvestites and convinced them to call off their protest.

However, a senior doctor of Jinnah Hospital said the police officer kept the transgender people engaged. “In fact, they called off their protest when their ailing fellow was `secretly’ examined and provided with free medicines by a senior doctor on the direction of the medical superintendent,” said the doctor seeking anonymity.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2017