LAHORE – After its failure to convince doctors to call-off their ongoing strike, the Punjab government has decided to adopt a three-pronged strategy to deal with young doctors demanding an increase in their salaries, Pakistan Today has learnt.
The new strategy conceived by the health department includes some extreme measures from the Punjab government which appears to be running out of patience. In first step, on the advice of the health department, medical colleges or hospital administrations have started issuing warning letters to the doctors.
If doctors remain undeterred, health authorities will serve show-cause notices to the protesting doctors and contact their parents. If doctors did stop their protest after this, the Punjab government will direct the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Pakistan (CPSP) to cancel their post graduate training and medical training practice.
Punjab Health Secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad and Punjab Health Parliamentary Secretary Saeed Elahi announced the strategy to health reporters of various media organisations at the Lahore Gymkhana. They said the young doctors had brought a bad name to the Punjab government.
Punjab Health Special Secretary Waseem Mukhtar told Pakistan Today that the health department had prepared the list of doctors spearheading the protest and directed teaching hospital principals and medical superintendents to prepare lists of protesting doctors.
Punjab Health Parliamentary Secretary Saeed Elahi warned, “If the doctors do not obey rules and regulations, then they all will be banned from both government jobs and private practice.” CPSP Regional Director Dr Khalid Masood Gondal said the CPSP was ready to cancel the registration of the post-graduate trainee doctors from Punjab on request of the health department.
