Strike: Outpatient service in tents from Monday

Doctors to see patients in tents for a week, after they will resign if salaries are not reaised.

ISLAMABAD: Outpatient services, currently suspended, in the allied hospitals of Rawalpindi will resume from March 7, in tents.

In a press conference on Friday, Dr Muhammad Haroon, the chairperson of Young Doctors Association (YDA), said they took the decision after “witnessing the plight of patients commuting from far-flung areas.”

They will continue to see patients in tents for a week, after which if they do not get a response from the government, they will resign. The doctors are demanding a raise of 100 per cent in their salaries. He said the YDA has met several times with the government, but is yet to get any tangible results.

A house officer currently gets Rs18,000, postgraduates and medical officers get Rs22,500 and young consultants receive Rs32,000 per month.“Weighing out the pay structure and workload, the salaries are not sufficient,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2011.