Young doctors give 24-hour deadline to Balochistan government

Say if demands not met they will stage a sit-in in front of CM House

QUETTA: After provincial ministers failed to deliver on their assurances, the Young Doctors Association (YDA) and the Paramedical Staff Association (PSA) have given a 24-hour ultimatum to the government to fulfil their demands or face the music.

Addressing a joint news conference on Saturday, the doctors and paramedics staff said that if their demands were not met within 24 hours they would march towards the Chief Minister House and stage a sit-in there.

Balochistan doctors call off strike on home minister’s assurance

Addressing the presser, Balochistan YDA President Dr Yasir Khosti said, “Despite the government’s assurance on multiple occasions, a notification in this regard has yet to be issued.”

He said that the non-serious attitude of the government regarding healthcare had compelled them to adopt a strict approach.

The protesting doctors and the paramedic staff had called off their strike on April 9 after Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar and Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo visited the striking camp at Civil Hospital, Quetta and asked the doctors to end their protest on humanitarian grounds.

216 doctors for remote Balochistan districts

The CJP had directed the provincial government to issue the notification within four days.

“We have been demanding provision of basic healthcare facilities at all government hospitals and increase in salaries to the level of doctors of other provinces, but the provincial government is reluctant to fulfil our demands,” Khosti added.

On previous negotiations with Minister for Home and Tribal Affairs Sarfraz Bugti, Minister for Health Abdul Majid Abro and Opposition Leader Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal, the YDA president said that the government representatives had visited our camps and accepted 50% of our demands.

“Bugti and Abro announced Rs300 million for civil hospital, and Rs200 million for Bolan Medical Complex and other government hospitals during the last meeting with us, but they didn’t release a single penny for revamping the plight of government hospitals,” said Khosti.

Young doctors’ strike a nightmare for patients

He said, “Now a stage has come where we have to show resistance against the government’s obstinacy and are ready to be arrested.”

Replying to a query, he said, “We have called an executive body’s meeting in which the option of tendering our resignations will also be discussed.”