LAHORE – The Punjab government had decided to increase doctors’ salary but young doctors refused to serve in public hospitals throughout the Punjab. The government instead of following 100 percent demands of the doctors only agreed to give a 15 percent increase in all categories.
Punjab Chief Ministers’s Senior Adviser Sardar Zulifqar Ahmed Khosa at 90 Shahrah-e-Qaid-e-Azam held a meeting with young doctors on Wednesday. The meeting’s temperature remained high and both sides including Young Doctors’ Association (YDA) exchanged harsh words during the talks. Khosa demurred to YDA members that they used threatening words against him. “I your father’s age and you all should respect elders. All the young doctors should behave sensibly and the words used by the doctors in last agitation in front of the Punjab Assembly were condemnable,” Khosa said.
Punjab chief secretary, Punjab Health Secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad, Health Special Secretary Waseem Mukhtar, King Edward Medical University (KEMU) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asad Aslam, Allama Iqbal Medical College (AIMC) Principal Prof Dr Javaid Akram, Post Graduate Medical Institute (PGMI) Principal Prof Dr Taruq Salah-u-din, Mayo Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Zahid Pervaiz, Pakistan Medical Association office bearers and YDA members attended the meeting. Khosa assured the participants that the government was ready to increase doctors’ pay but it was no possible for the government to issue the pay raise notification because the federal government had not finalised budget figures yet. He said that doctors had to call off their strike so that all the stakeholders would be in position to discuss one point agenda.
“If the young doctors change their behaviour and call off strike, then he will be in a position to arrange a meeting between young doctors’ delegation and Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif. The doctors should behave positively because they belong to a reasonable and respectful profession,” Khosa said adding that a large number of poor patients were suffering in public sector hospitals. It was decided that a meeting headed by the Nishtar Medical College Multan principal, would finalise the points regarding the service structure of doctors and security issues as well as the better pay package.
YDA spokesperson Dr Nasir Abbas thanked Khosa for the assurance to fight for doctors’ right and said that they would inform them about call off strike decision after their general council meeting and they will try to give a positive announcement. On the other hand, young doctors did not attend the emergency patients as well as OPD and indoor patients in any hospital. A large number of patients faced difficulties and large number of operations in teaching hospital were cancelled.
