LAHORE: As the strike called by Young Doctors Association (YDA) continued its 6th day on Sunday, 66 doctors have been dismissed from their duties, according to the health department.
The department has also warned the protesting doctors of further strict action if they continue to neglect patients.
The YDA medics have kept outpatient departments of government hospitals closed, despite Minister for Specialised Healthcare Khawaja Salman Rafiq issuing dismissal orders for the staff on strike.
Earlier, Salman Rafiq held a meeting with the heads of government hospitals, where he sought a list of the doctors absent from duties. The minister had ordered dismissal orders for the house officers who did not report to work by 8 pm on August 2. However, he appreciated the medics who were on duty by disregarding the strike.
The doctors of the association have demanded that the Health Secretary Najam Ahmad Shah, be removed from his position and the Centralised Induction Policy which introduced by him, be revoked. They believe that since the health secretary is an engineer, he would not be able to relate to or understand the issues of the health department.
According to the protesting doctors, Central Induction Policy discriminates between the ones who have graduated from government institutes and those who have received their education from private ones. Since the majority of the doctors have graduated from private medical colleges, they want the policy to be revoked and an equal system placed for all.