The Pakistan Medical Association’s Punjab chapter and the Punjab Paramedical Alliance have condemned “inhuman attitude of some young doctors for their demands which led to the deaths of several patients and put lives of scores of others at grave risk”.
The PMA, which had kept mum over the deteriorating healthcare system at the public hospitals across the province owing to violent protest of the young doctors, finally woke up.
A senior doctor criticised the PMA leaders’ role, saying they did not intervene for fear of wrath of doctors.
Meanwhile, the YDA Punjab has demanded immediate removal of Health Secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad.
YDA President Dr Hamid Butt told media at Services Hospital on Sunday that Mr Fawad misguided the provincial government as the proposed special pay package had been finalised some days back. He said the doctors would not resume their duties unless their genuine demands were accepted. He said the young doctors would launch agitation also for the transfer or removal of the health secretary.
A 17-member delegation of PMA Punjab led by Prof Dr Ashraf Nizami met Senior Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa at the CM Secretariat on Sunday.
The delegation informed Mr Khosa about the stance of the PMA which, it said, fully supported the demands of the doctors but had differed on mode of agitation.
The delegation demanded that the doctors should be given a special salary package for all cadres and a regular service structure with time-scale promotions.
A source told this reporter that the delegation informed the senior adviser that the PMA was the main body which represented doctors, and not the Young Doctors Association. Mr Khosa was asked to hold negotiations with the PMA in future to resolve the salary issue instead of the YDA office-bearers.
The PMA also appealed to the young doctors to resume their duties in the emergency wards.
Mr Khosa assured the delegation that the Punjab government would give a raise to all cadres of doctors in the next budget. A committee would be constituted for making the service structure with time-scale promotions for doctors and the PMA would be a part of it, he said.
A 14-member delegation of the Punjab Paramedical Alliance led by its chairman, Malik Munir, met Mr Khosa and demanded regular service structure for the paramedics.
The delegation condemned the young doctors’ attitude and assured the government that the paramedics would not go on strike.
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