More protests: YDA to ‘shut down’ Lahore on March 31

Protests to be held in Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, DG Khan and Gujrat.

LAHORE: The Young Doctors Association (YDA) on Saturday announced to block roads in major cities of the province, including Lahore, on March 31.

The announcement was made by YDA office-bearers at Allama Iqbal Medical College. They said that the roads would be blocked at four points in Lahore by doctors from eight hospitals.

“The Canal Road will be blocked by doctors from Jinnah Hospital and Sheikh Zayed Hospital. The Mall will be blocked by doctors from Punjab Dental Hospital, and Ganga Ram Hospital; Ferozpur Road by doctors from Lahore General Hospital and Children’s Hospital; and the Jail Road will be blocked by doctors from Services Hospital and Punjab Institute of Cardiology,” they said.

They said YDA would also be holding similar protests in Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, Gujrat and Rawalpindi.

YDA Punjab president Dr Ajmal Chaudhry said that the protest would start at 10am. “Doctors will work in out-patient departments till 10am and then come out on the roads,” he said.

YDA Punjab spokesman Dr Amir Bandesha said that they would continue the protest until their demands were met. “The government had agreed to a 52-point draft agreement on November 7, 2012. It had agreed to promote 4,000 doctors to the 18th grade. However, this has not happened so far,” he said.

“The government has only implemented 20 per cent of the agreed points,” he said.

He said that lack of promotions was the biggest problem facing the doctors. “When you withhold promotions, it blocks the way of new appointments. The government is keen to create more grade 17 seats, but not on promotions,” he said. He said the announcement by the government to create new posts for doctors would not change the situation. “The service structure and promotions cannot be resolved by just creating new posts,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2015.