Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has voiced support for the doctors’ protests for a revised service structure and blamed the provincial government for strikes at public hospitals.
A delegation of the Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab called on the former chief minister on Sunday to brief him about their campaign of protests, said YDA Punjab’s media secretary Dr Muddassir Razzaq Khan.
He said that Elahi had backed the doctors. “He said that if the Punjab government had acted in time to give doctors a proper service structure, the situation would have been different and doctors would never have gone on strike,” Dr Khan said.
He said the YDA was planning to contact the leadership of the Pakistan People’s Party, the Tehreek-i-Insaaf and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz to inform them about their demands before November 7, when the association is planning to hold a sit-in at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
Dr Khan said that the YDA had also called on Jamaat-i-Islami leader Liaqat Baloch, who had also extended his support to the association.
The government and doctors’ groups associations are in talks on the service structure. Though agreement has been reached on some issues, the parties still differ on promotions and starting grades for new doctors.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 21st, 2012.
COMMENTS (2)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
This is the most logical way of fighting injustice and demanding one's rights. If thousands of equally or even more talented people are getting paid less or have a non-existent service structure; this in no way justifies the injustice and should not stop anyone for standing up for their rights. This is one of the key point here. Doctors aren't telling the engineer, accountants or any other professional that they are any less talented and deserve any less. Their only demand is their rightful due. If someone feels they are being denied their due share, they are free to protest and struggle for their rights. Let us remember that two wrongs don't make a right. Support doctors and stand up for your own rights. When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty
Dear Doctors, You can no more put us hostages by applying these educated tactics. There are thousands of other equally talented people who are getting lesser salaries.