The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) on Tuesday announced complete support to the protest movement of the Punjab social security doctors in Punjab.
The decision from the PMA office bearers came after a meeting with the Punjab social security doctors. Several PMA office bearers, including Dr M Tanveer Anwar, Dr Izhar Ahmed, Dr Ihsan-ur-Rehman, Dr Yasmin Ihsan, Dr Kamran, Dr Sabahat Habib Khan and Dr Salman Kazmi.
The PMA office bearers would participate in the protest to be held by the social security doctors on January 19 at all hospitals of the Social Security Department. They said that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had announced a pay raise of Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 for the consultants and medical officers, respectively and Rs 6,000 and Rs 20,000 for the house officers and post graduate residents, respectively, in form of health professional allowance but this had not been implemented in the Social Security Department.
The PMA added that the social security governing body’s committee had also given approval to the same but the social security commissioner was reluctant to implement it. The PMA has advised the social security commissioner not to force the doctors to protest and issue a notification of pay raise to the 1,800 doctors from July 1, 2011. They have also appealed to the chief minister to take notice.
