The patients in Lahore and other districts of southern Punjab breathed a sigh of relief as the Young Doctors Association (YDA) ended its strike and the doctors resumed their duties on Friday. The YDA called off the strike after conducting successful negotiations with the provincial government. The YDA had been on strike for the past week to protest against the transfers of doctors, putting patients through a number of problems. During the strike, the government hospitals’ OPDs remained closed, causing problems for the patients visiting these hospitals from far flung areas.
Following widespread protests by the public and the criticism of the opposition political parties, the Punjab government which had initially stood firm on its stance, finally agreed to negotiate with the YDA. The young doctors across the province were demanding the government to withdraw the orders given for the transfer of their colleagues and to revise the service structure for the doctors serving under the Punjab government. After successful dialogues the Punjab government agreed to the demands of the YDA.
A committee formed for the purpose has been assigned with presenting a report on the service structure within a month.
