Doctors' strike across Punjab: government gives doctors 24-hour deadline

Punjab government has warned doctors observing strike across the province to join their duties within 24 hours, otherwise, law would take its due course. Punjab government has already declared services of the doctors attached to health department essential in order to resolve the problems confronted by patients as a result of strike of doctors.
"If the protesting doctors failed to resume their duties within 24 hours, action would be taken against them under Compulsory Services Act," sources said. According to sources, the government has decided to appoint unemployed and retired doctors on ad hoc basis, if protesting doctors did not call off their strike by Sunday. A spokesman for Punjab government said that alternate arrangements have been made to tackle the situation being faced owing to strike of young doctors. Police has been deployed outside the hospitals to combat any untoward situation.
On the 32nd day of strike on Saturday, young doctors continued their strike and stayed away from performing their duties. Patients at the OPDs had to face hardships while in order to ensure functioning of emergency units of hospitals, senior doctors remained available for their treatment.
Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad, Shahbaz Sharif has already said that the government has given a sympathetic hearing to the demands of the doctors and offered substantial increase in their remuneration and after that there is no justification of doctors' strike.
Meanwhile, Senior Advisor to Chief Minister Sirdar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa told reporters after addressing a seminar on "Cultivation of Cotton" here on Saturday that the Punjab government has decided to further raise salaries of doctors up to 20-percent with effect from July this year. Therefore, he said there is no justification for protesting doctors to continue the strike, as it is causing problems for the patients.
He pointed out that government has already increased salaries of doctors' up to 50 percent during the last few months and further increase in their salaries (20 percent) would be made from July first this year. "If the protesting doctors fail to call off their strike, legal action would be taken against them," he said adding, "Doctors should realise the sufferings of ailing humanity and perform their duties whole-heartedly."
Khosa further said government has no source of income from oil; therefore, it is not possible for it to give salaries to the doctors as per salaries given in Saudi Arabia. To a query, he said government would recommend the federal government to withdraw 17-percent Sales Tax imposed on agriculture products.
Furthermore, Secretary Health Punjab Fawad Hassan Fawad has said that demands of young doctors pertaining to raise in their salaries and free of cost treatment facility to their family members have been accepted. According to him, salary of house job doctor would be raised by rupees 12,000, while post graduate under training doctors' salary would be increased by Rs 20,000. This raise would be applicable from July 01, 2011. After acceptance of young doctors' demand, there is no reason left for strike, he added.
On the other hand, protesting young doctors have expressed reservations over the announcement and asked the government to raise the salaries of doctors by Rs 30, 000, besides providing security to them. They have also rejected government's ultimatum and announced that they would tender resignations, if the government did not accept their demands.