Regularising services: Doctors threaten another strike in 2 weeks

Provincial Doctors Association holds convention at Lady Reading Hospital.

PESHAWAR:

The Provincial Doctors’ Association (PDA) has warned of shutting down healthcare services in two weeks if the health department does not begin negotiating their demands with the provincial government.

The association held a convention at the Lady Reading Hospital, which was attended by doctors, paramedics and teachers among others.

Once again, doctors demanded that the provincial government provide them a basic service structure, employment to newly graduated doctors and regularise all adhoc doctors.

“We are providing services 24 hours a day but the provincial heath department introduced the new Essentials Services Act (ESA) which stops us from protesting and holding strikes to demand our rights,” PDA’s former president Dr Shah Sawar said.

He said the government should immediately dissolve the ESA and fulfil the doctors’ demand of a regular service structure.

He added that if the government fails to do so, there will be mass resignations on a provincial level.

The association president for LRH, Dr Nadir Khan, said that 22 doctors were recruited in BPS-17 and they retired at the same level.

He said that absence of a basic service structure is causing a sense of deprivation among doctors as government employees in other departments have promotion structures.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26^th, 2012.