LAHORE – The fate of doctors recently recruited by the Punjab Health Department to run hospitals in the absence of striking doctors hangs in the balance, as the Young Doctors’ Association (YDA) has expressed its reservation on their future, Pakistan Today has learnt.
The Health Department appointed 617 doctors to run the emergency departments of various hospitals, while the young doctors were on a strike. However, the appointments are not regular, putting the fate of all these newly elected doctors in jeopardy. YDA President Dr Hamid Butt called all the newly appointed doctors ‘PCO doctors’ and said that the general council of the YDA along with senior doctors will take a decision about the fate of all such doctors.
Sources revealed that the government was determined to ‘protect’ these doctors who ‘supported’ the government during a ‘tough’ time, as it will put the government’s credibility in doubt. They further said that the government will ‘devise’ a mechanism to get their appointments channelled through the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) so that their recruitment should not be challenged in the court.
Allama Iqbal Medical College (AIMC) Principal Dr Javed Akram said, “I personally wrote to the health secretary about the future of young doctors while their recruitment was going on, while the secretary asked me to give assurance to new recruits and said it was a blanket approval.” He further said that every hospital would decide the fate of these doctors after considering its own situation.
“Many of these doctors are over age, with little experience and have mostly joined because of the circumstances. However, they are also our colleagues and we will merge them in the system. Interviews for emergency medical officers are being held in Jinnah Hospital and we will see what could be done about them,” he said. To a question, he said senior doctors would advise young doctors to accommodate them, besides the government recruited the doctors and the YDA or the doctors have no authority to decide their fate.
Health Parliamentary Secretary Dr Saeed Elahi said all newly appointed doctors have been recruited on ad-hoc basis and have been given a one-year contract. He further said that the Health Department could not hold regular appointments, as these come only through the PPSC. He said the government will not abandon the newly appointed doctors, but after the expiry of their contract, they could only be regularised through the PPSC.
