Service structure: ‘600 postgraduate trainees working without pay’

LAHORE:

The Young Doctors Association (YDA) on Monday appealed to the chief minister to increase the number of paid postgraduate training slots to accommodate all post graduate students.

The YDA said 600 doctors in the province were currently working as unpaid post graduate trainees at various teaching hospitals.

“In 2012, the Health Department promised that medical officers’ slots would be converted to post graduate training slots. The department also said it would start PG training at district headquarters hospitals and tehsil headquarters hospitals. This has not been done. The recently-recruited MOs are not to allowed to join PG training. The number of doctors working as unpaid trainees is increasing. The department should work on the issue,” the YDA statement said.

Representatives of doctors working as unpaid post graduate trainees, Dr Waqas, Dr Zulaikha, Dr Nida and Dr Aqsa appealed to the chief minister to take notice of the situation.

They said new training slots should be created at DHQ and THQ hospitals.

“Summaries regarding this issue are awaiting approval since 2012,” they said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2014.