Doctors hold convention at PMA House

An ‘All Punjab Doctors Convention,’ with Pakistan Medical Association President Dr Tanveer Anwer in the chair, was held at the PMA House Lahore
PMA Punjab President Dr Ashraf Nizami, delegates of post graduate doctors from district branches of PMA Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Lodhran, Multan, Faisalabad, Chiniot, Sargodha, Mianwali, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujranwala, Kasur and Sheikhupura, office bearers of YDA Pakistan, Social Security Doctors Association, Basic Medical Teacher Association and Senior Doctors Association also attended the event.
The speakers highlighted the injustice that was being done with the doctors’ community for years and condemned the bureaucratic delay in the regularisation of 1800 doctors. The convention passed various resolutions. The house imposed their full confidence on the leadership of PMA and gave them the mandate to negotiate with the government on the issue of regularization. The house declared secretary Regulation Muhammad Ilyas responsible for the delay in the regularisation of 1800 doctors and demanded the CM to take notice of the situation to settle the issue. It was resolved that the government should issue the orders of regularisation within one week, failure of which will force the doctors to stage a sit-in in front of the CM Secretariat. The house also unanimously resolved that the PRSP be immediately rolled backed and withdrawn from all 12 districts of Punjab and the doctors of PRSP be regularised. The convention ended with a vote of thanks by Dr Izhar Ahmad general secretary, PMA Lahore.
But the PMA equity chapter termed holding a convention on the regularisation of doctors as a “contempt of court”. They further alleged that the PMA could not gather even 30 post graduate doctors from across the province for a convention. They said that post graduate doctors have failed the attempt of putting political pressure on an on going judicial process. The PMA equity chapter said that the sit-in call given by the PMA was only meant to “sabotage” the health services being provided by the CM. They alleged that only a select group of doctors, who completed their post graduation in 10 to 15 years, wanted to secure postings out of merit. They further appealed to the CM to give them a hearing, after which they will accept the decision of the CM.