The Young Doctors Association Pakistan on Friday warned the Punjab government that if did not accept the doctors’ demands for a new service structure, “all qualified doctors would leave the country”.
The association was referring to the approaching visit of a delegation of the Saudi Ministry of Health. The delegation will visit Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad this month to hire Pakistani consultants and resident doctors in surgery, medicine, orthopaedics, nephrology, radiology and gynae.
According to the association around 3,000 doctors have left the country for Saudi Arabia in the last two years. The YDA Pakistan office bearers Dr Rana Sohail, Dr Salman Kazmi, Dr Talha Sherwani, Dr Ghulam Qasim, Dr Murtaza Bloch, Dr Muhammad Khawar Khan, Dr Shahid Dreshik, Dr Waqas Gondal, Dr Shehzad, Dr Muhammad Azhar and Dr Muhammad Amjad signed the Friday statement.
When contacted, a Health Department official said that doctors who have completed five years of regular service could avail a year-long ex-Pakistan leave, work abroad and then return to their jobs. Those who have not completed the five-year team will have to resign if they want to work in Saudi Arabia, he said. He added that in special cases, doctors with four years of service could be granted ex-Pakistan leave.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2012.
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