Thursday, May 19, 2011

YDA Sindh chapter calls off strike

Sindh Young Doctors Association President Dr Abbas Ali Shah has said the association had decided to call off the strike after being assured by government officials at a meeting that the demands had been accepted.
In the late evening hours, he said that the association had received an official handout signed by the provincial health secretary stating that their demands had been accepted and that the chief minister would announce this on his return to the country in coming days.

The association’s demands, he said, included a uniform salary package for all doctors across the country, appointment of medical officers in the health personnel pay scale 18 through the public service commission, allowances for doctors on a par with the judiciary and the police personnel, regular service structure with time-scale promotion, and provision of medical
facilities and accommodation to postgraduate trainees, house officers and their families.

A delegation comprising Pakistan Medical Association’s Sindh members also met Finance Minister Murad Ali Shah, the head of the government committee on young doctors’ issue, in the presence of the secretary health and special secretary health, according to Dr Samrina Hashmi, PMA-Sindh president.

“The government officials have reassured us that the demands of young doctors relating to salary and service structure as is in place in other provinces and special incentives of higher grade on the basis of time-scale would be met in the budget 2011 and the relevant announcement would be made within a week once the chief minister returns from abroad,” she said, regretting that if the government had talked to the YDA and taken them into confidence earlier, patients wouldn’t have suffered on Wednesday.