Split between doctors’ associations

Doctors’ associations experienced a split on Tuesday when General Cadre Doctor Association (CDGA) approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) with a request that General Cadre doctors should be given top priority and their promotions in grade 19 and 20 should be given.
Different associations of doctors have been meeting with top government representatives, including politicians and bureaucrats, to devise a common policy for service structure. So far various meetings have been held as the court is hearing the matter. However nothing conclusive has come so far. Meanwhile, GCDA has filed a petition in the LHC to be given top priority.
Justice Ejaz ul Hassan admitted the plea filed by the Judicial Activism panel on the service structure and ordered the General Cadre doctors through their council Ahsan ul Haq Sajid to present a service structure to the high court and health department within few days.
Addressing the court the council of GCDA Sajid requested that general cadre doctors have been offering the health care services for last many decades and have never been involved in any strike and had offered uninterrupted health care services to the people.
He requested that while formulating the service structure the doctors of general cadres should be taken on board and without their input it should not be finalised.
The council of GDCD said those waiting for promotion should be given their right
GCDA President Dr Masood Akhtar Sheikh said that the executive body meeting will be held tomorrow and suggestions will be taken from stakeholders of general cadre to finalise proper recommendations.
He said that General Cadre doctors acknowledges all the orders passed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab spokesperson Dr Nasir however said the young doctors are only demanding that the government should give benefits of the next grade to all doctors, be it juniors or seniors. “If the government does not want to accept direct induction of doctors in grade 18, we have asked them to give benefits and allowances of their respective next grade to all doctors across the board,” he added.