YDA Punjab reaches agreement with provincial govt

Rawalpindi
The Young Doctors Association Punjab has reached an agreement with the Punjab government calling off the series of protests announced by it after the provincial government promised to resolve issues being faced by the young doctors in the province.
The YDA chapter at Benazir Bhutto Hospital has informed the young doctors serving under the provincial government here in this region that after a meaningful dialogue between the YDA Punjab representatives and Advisor to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafiq, the series of protests has been called off, said Information Secretary of YDA BBH Dr Muhammad Waqas Ilyas while talking to ‘The News’ on Friday.
He said the Punjab government has promised to create as many as 1,090 paid seats for post-graduate trainees till June this year and given positive response on almost all demands put forward by the YDA Punjab.
He added the demands of YDA related to pay raise and promotions have been forwarded by the government to committees that would work for the purpose and resolve the problems of young doctors before June. The government has agreed principally on induction of doctors in BPS 18 however the matter has been forwarded to a committee for further action, said Dr. Waqas.
He added that a committee would work on increase in salaries of Medical Officers, Post-Graduate trainees and House Officers as was promised by the government in 2012. The government has promised that the issue would be resolved before June this year.
The YDA had been demanding paid house jobs for medical graduates of private institutions and foreign graduates who, according to the YDA, were forced to do unpaid house jobs while paid seats for house jobs were lying vacant throughout the province. “The government has issued notification in this regard and medical graduates of private institutions and foreign graduates would be given paid house jobs in the province,” said Dr. Waqas.
He said the security plan for hospitals has been revised and implemented through notification. The paediatrics departments and labor rooms have been declared as emergency departments while one attendant per patient would be allowed in wards, he said.
The government has agreed to provide incentives from Rs35,000 to Rs150,000 to specialists serving in peripheries and promised to revise house rent, conveyance allowance and tax deduction policy for the young doctors, said Dr. Waqas.