YDA `resumes` strike after calling it off

In a late night development, the Punjab chapter of the Young Doctors Association (YDA) has announced it will continue its strike as the Punjab government had taken a U-turn on its commitment made at a meeting with an association delegation.

In a short message to this reporter received on late Thursday night, a Punjab YDA office-bearer Dr Abubakar Gondal said the health department authorities had hatched a ‘conspiracy’ against the doctors striving for their rights.

Sources said the latest rift between the YDA and the Punjab government developed at a late-night meeting between the two sides, after which the association conveyed to the young doctors at the public hospitals to continue their strike.

Sources at various public sector hospitals confirmed that the young doctors who had joined their duties in the day, after the YDA had called off the strike, again left their assignments to continue the protest.

Earlier in the day, the association President Dr Hamid Butt had called off the strike. Talking to the media at the Services Hospital, Dr Butt had said the doctors had resumed their duties at the public sector hospitals of the province as the Punjab government had accepted the doctors’ demand for a special pay package.

In a meeting with a five-member delegation of YDA leaders, he had said, Senior Adviser to Chief Minister Zulfiqar Khosa assured them that the government would immediately announce a ‘reasonable and handsome’ raise for the doctors.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif would announce the salary raise within a couple of days, Dr Butt had said quoting Mr Khosa.

Dr Butt had said Mr Khosa promised that a house officer (HO) would be given a monthly raise of Rs12,000, while a medical officer, postgraduate trainee, registrar, senior registrar, assistant/associate professor and professor would be given a raise of Rs25,000 to 30,000 at least in the annual budget.

He further said Mr Khosa also assured the delegation that the rest of the raise demanded by the YDA office-bearers would be announced in the next budget.

Now there was no justification to continue the strike at the government hospitals, he had said, adding all the striking doctors had been conveyed the decision taken by the government and the YDA leadership.