PMA Punjab, PMA equity chapters trade allegations

The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Punjab and equity chapter have leveled allegations against each other over the regularization of doctors. The PMA Punjab Doctors’ Joint Action Committee in a press conference on Wednesday alleged that the PMA equity chapter doctors leadership was trying to “sabotage” the process of regularization of 1800 doctors supported by the health department, the judiciary and the government.
They further alleged that the equity chapter Dr Abdul Rauf was the leader of a fake PMA and had failed the PPSC exam several times and was without government service. They said regular appointments of senior post graduate doctors did not take place for the last 12 years and only through efforts of the PMA the government has taken notice of the situation. They said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif regularized almost 2700 senior post graduate doctors in 2009, while the health department also declared the CM’s step legal and phased regularization started taking place and in 2009 almost 40 percent of doctors have been regularized.
They further said Dr Tehseen Riaz, another leader of the equity chapter, got regular appointment as assistant professor in 2009 through the same order and now “back stabbing” the medical community. They further demanded that the government should complete the regularization process and initiate action against “fake leaders”.
The PMA equity chapter however alleged that the “so-called” PMA has created trouble for doctors and have blocked promotion chances for young post graduate doctors in the near future, by converting 198 posts of senior registrars into assistant professors, hence the post graduate doctors will have to go abroad. They demanded that the government should revert its decision of converting the posts of senior registrars, otherwise the aggrieved will protest. They alleged that the PMA had gathered those doctors for the press conference whose cases were already in court and hence they could not discuss a sub-judice matter in public.