The strike of doctors to press the authorities for acceptance of their demands entered the fifth day in Multan. On the joint call of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and Young Doctors Association (YDA), the doctors observed strike at the Cardiology Institute, Nishtar Hospital, Civil Hospital, Fatima Jinnah Hospital, Children Complex. The patients suffered a lot due to the closure of outdoor-patient department (OPD) and had to approach private clinics and hospitals.
The Punjab chapter YDA on Saturday threatened that over 15,000 young doctors would resign from their services if the government does not accept their demands. YDA's Multan Chairman, Mazhar Chaudhry, Dr Zahid Sarfraz, PMA's President Shahid Rao, and General Secretary Kashif Chishti demanded the government to increase the salaries of young doctors and raise the health budget to ensure better facilities to the masses.
They demanded 100 percent rise in the paid seats of all trainee doctors including medical officers, postgraduate and house officers. They also said that unpaid labour should be eliminated, while service structure of doctors should be improved by giving special pay cadre.
They said that the Punjab Chief Minister, Shahbaz Sharif had constituted a special committee in January to resolve the problems of the trainee doctors. The committee forwarded its recommendations to the CM, but the provincial government failed to issue any notification in this regard, forcing the young doctors to go on strike.
The doctors said that in the first phase of their strike, they did not provide their services at the OPD of the province. However, they reviewed their policy and decided to establish OPDs outside the hospitals where young doctors would check the patients from March 7 to register their protest so that the patients could be saved from the effects of the situation. "We have taken this step because we do not want that the patients suffer due to our strike," said YDA office-bearers.
They deplored that the provincial government has not taken to resolve their problems despite the fact that patients are suffering for the last four days. They said that in the second phase of their strike, some 15,000 young doctors of the province would resign from services and prefer to do a job than medical profession. The doctors all over the Punjab are protesting against Punjab government for its failure to address their problems. They are on strike for the last five days and this situation has increased problems for patients. The paramedical staff of Multan division has already threatened of strike, as the notification of their service structure that was approved by the Punjab chief minister one-year ago, could not be issued despite many efforts.
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