Over 150 doctors serving in Rural Health Centres, Basic Health Units and Tehsil Headquarters Hospitals of the district have joined the movement being run by Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab for increase in salaries, pay protection and increase in health budget of the province.
Also the YDA Islamabad has decided to support fully the strike of YDA Punjab while planning to forward an application to federal health secretary with same demands as in the agenda of YDA Punjab. The YDA Islamabad that is also planning a protest decided that the young doctors would wear black armbands while working in Federal Government Services Hospital (Polyclinic) and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Islamabad.
On March 14, a convention of YDA Rawalpindi Chapter was held in the office auditorium of district health office in Khayaban-e-Sir Syed where in Dr Asad has been declared as President YDA Rawalpindi Rural Wing which has also been included in central council of the YDA Rawalpindi.
“The young doctors serving in RHCs, BHUs and THQ hospitals have also joined the call of strike in OPDs and have started examining patients in camps outside OPDs,” said President YDA Rawalpindi Chapter Dr Umar Saeed while talking to ‘The News’ on Wednesday. He added that the young doctors have decided to continue strike in OPDs till they are given pay raise according to their academic qualifications.
The strike of young doctors in Outpatient departments of the public sector hospitals across province has entered 16th day on Wednesday while the provincial government has failed to gain any breakthrough despite a number of meetings with the YDA Punjab office bearers.
The YDA also announced that the strike in OPDs would continue however free medical camps would continue to serve public however on Thursday (today), all the young doctors of Punjab including medical officers, house officers and postgraduate trainees would stage a sit-in protest on roads in front of hospitals while complete strike would be observed in all departments of the hospitals.
“On Thursday, the young doctors in Rawalpindi would be completely on strike and a sit-in protest would be staged on Benazir Bhutto Road in front of Benazir Bhutto Hospital,” said Dr Umar. He added that in case of use of force against young doctors, the provincial government would be responsible for the consequences.
Chairman YDA Punjab Dr Muhammad Haroon informed ‘The News’ that the provincial government has already prepared a list of 48 doctors in Punjab who are going to be victimized. “This is not a surprise. We welcome the crackdown against young doctors as it is a test of leadership and unity of doctors and we would not retreat,” he said.
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