Pakistani doctors in the restive Balochistan province have begun protests demanding reforms to the healthcare system after a female colleague was attacked with acid.

Mahnoor Nasir, 29, was working at the Sandeman civil hospital in Quetta on 5 June when she was attacked with acid by a lift operator.

The suspect, Humayun Shah, was later killed in an exchange of fire with police, local media reported.

Ms Nasir suffered about 13 per cent burns to her face and body and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. She was later airlifted to the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi.

Activists and doctors condemned the assault as an attack on women's right to work. They called for measures to protect healthcare workers and for the resignation of the Balochistan health secretary Mujeeb ur Rehman Panezai.

“I had initially believed it was an accidental splash of some acid. Later, when I called them again, I was shocked,” Ms Nasir’s brother, Farhat Nasir, told The News.

"She wanted to become a surgeon. Our father supported her throughout her career."

Provincial health minister Bakht Kakar alleged the suspect had been harassing the doctor for months, evidence of which was found in messages recovered from his mobile phone. "Thankfully, the burns on her face are superficial,” he said of the victim. “Her eyes can differentiate colour.”

The Young Doctors Association called for a province-wide boycott of outpatient department services, though workers at private hospitals continued to work as usual.

In response, the health department suspended 23 doctors and four postgraduate trainees and issued show-cause notices to 25 other people for staging an indefinite strike.

Senior doctor Ishaq Durani told reporters over the weekend that the attack was an assault on the dignity of the medical community, adding that it should not be treated lightly. He also criticised the suspension of doctors for protesting and demanded the health secretary's resignation.

“The attack on Dr Mahnoor is an attack on our honour which we cannot tolerate. This isn’t a minor incident that we can ignore by simply folding our hands. Such an incident can happen to any other doctor tomorrow," he added.

UN Women in Pakistan also condemned the assault. "Acid attacks are among the most devastating forms of gender-based violence, leaving survivors with lifelong physical and psychological scars," it said.

The attack has renewed concerns about violence against women and social inequalities in Pakistan, where fears of harassment and assault have contributed to a worsening shortage of doctors.

“Cases of gender-based violence are increasing in Quetta,” Alaudin Khilji, resident director of Aurat Foundation, a women's empowerment and social justice group, told The News.

In 2025 alone, at least 90 women were killed across Balochistan. Between 2019 and 2025, at least 472 incidents of violence against women were reported in the province.

In spite of women outnumbering men in Pakistan’s medical schools now, surveys indicate that one in three leaves the profession after graduation, underscoring persistent barriers to participation in the workforce.

“It is a tragic incident that will have negative effects on female education. When hospitals are not safe, who will dare to send their daughters for medical practice and education,” Zeenat Shawani, a doctor in Balochistan, told the AFP news agency.

Around 70,000 women, nearly a fifth of Pakistan’s 370,000 registered doctors, are listed on official medical registries but are not actively practising, according to local reports.