Doctors strike: PGMI claims ignoring duties not the solution

PGMI President Dr Waqar Alam Jan claimed thatsenior doctors were harassed for showing up for work.

PESHAWAR: The Post Graduate Medical Institute (PGMI), Teaching Staff Association and Young Doctors Association (YDA), condemned the Provincial Doctors Association’s (PDA) strike. They said that ignoring duties is not the solution to their problems.

Addressing a joint news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Thursday, PGMI President Dr Waqar Alam Jan claimed during PDA’s strike on November 26, senior doctors were harassed for showing up for work and their clinics were forcefully closed.

Jan strongly condemned such incidents and thanked the provincial government and Minister for Health Shaukat Yousafzai for solving issues faced by doctors.

He said that the provincial government has agreed in principle, to the 17-point manifesto that the doctors had proposed and will give them a practical shape soon.

PGMI General Secretary Dr Musa Kaleem said the capital city police assured the body of making headway in providing adequate security to doctors as well as arranging round-the-clock patrolling in Dabgari Gardens and Hayatabad.

Kaleem said they also spoke to the health minister about kidnapped doctors who said that while the provincial government is unable to recover them since the kidnapped were shifted to tribal areas, they will seek the federal government’s help to ensure doctors are released.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29^th, 2013.