The fear of losing job has caused return of hundreds of doctors to workplace, though lack of proper check and balance has allowed the young doctors to mark attendance and stay away from the responsibility of providing healthcare facilities to the suffering humanity.
The ongoing strike has also provided opportunity to the patients to get medical advice and treatment from senior doctors at the emergency wards of public sector hospitals across the province.
The Punjab chapter of the Medical Teachers Association and the Young Doctors Association are holding a joint meeting to review prevailing situation and to formulate proposals for ending the crises at public sector hospitals. General Secretary MTA Punjab Dr Tehseen Riaz said that the purpose of the meeting was to find a way acceptable for both the Punjab government and the YDA for ending the prevailing crises.
He said that the proposals would be sent to the Punjab government for further consideration. Seniors and newly appointed medics provided healthcare facilities to the patients at the emergency and out patients department of public sector hospitals on Tuesday with the young doctors strike entering 36th day. All scheduled operations were postponed while emergency surgeries were carried out at operation theatres of the teaching hospitals. The young doctors continued their strike on the 36th day, demanding immediate raise in their salaries, consequently adding to the woes of suffering humanity.
Young doctors have demanded that they would not resume their duties till the announcement of the agreement decided in a meeting with Sardar Zulfikar Ali Khan Khosa a couple of days back. Over 500 new doctors have been recruited so far at various teaching hospitals across the province.
The public sector hospitals administration said that no patient has been refused treatment at the emergency wards, however, scheduled operations have been postponed due to additional responsibility of senior medics. The administration said that the patients requiring immediate and emergency surgery were not denied.
