Punjab government agrees to increase doctors' salary package from July

Punjab government has decided in principal to increase the salary package for the doctors' community from 1st July and this would be a fairly decent and reasonable increase. The recommendations for the said increased salary package would be finalised by the mid of May, this year.
This assurance was given by the Secretary Health Punjab, Fawad Hassan Fawad to the Young Doctors Association (YDA)-12 member delegation headed by Dr Nasir Abbas, who called on him at Lahore General Hospital on Saturday night.
Principal PGMI / LGH Professor Tariq Salahuddin, Professor Ali Haider, Professor Rubina Sohail, Professor Agha Shabbir, Professor Shoaib Randhawa and MS LGH Dr Zafar Ikram were also present in the meeting. Dr Nasir Abbas demanded that this assurance should be given to them in black and white so that they could convince their colleagues in general body's meeting. Fawad Hassan Fawad directed the principal LGH to circulate the minutes of the meeting among the stakeholders for this purpose.
Professor Tariq Salahuddin asked the young doctors to freeze their strike in OPDs as there were no moral grounds left for strike after clear-cut assurance about salary increase from higher authorities.
Professor Tariq Salahuddin proposed that few YDA representatives might be included in the team for preparing documents of salary package.
Secretary Health said that the YDA representatives can assist Health Department in preparation of summary, which would be sent to Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif for his approval.
He also advised the young doctors to call off their strike. Government would definitely fulfil its promise of revision of salary of doctors, he re-assured.
It may be added that hundreds of young doctors working in the government hospitals across the province have been on strike since 1st March to press for their demand for better salary package and working conditions.
The health department has issued show cause notices to the main activists of the YDA to end their strike and resume duty in the government hospitals by 21st March (today) otherwise disciplinary action would be taken against them.