Thaw in Punjab govt, Yda standoff

The Young Doctors Association (YDA) called off its strike on Wednesday after successful negotiations with the Punjab government, or so claimed the provincial law minister. Talking to reporters after a two-hour-long meeting with senior doctors, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said the detention orders of young doctors were being withdrawn and those who had been arrested would be released soon. The YDA, however, denied calling off the strike, with its spokesman Dr Zulqarnain saying that the doctors would only return to the Emergency Wards now and would resume complete duties at the OPDs and Indoor Departments when the service structure was implemented. Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif met principals of medical colleges and senior doctors and discussed the current situation in hospitals across the province.

FAISALABAD: Meanwhile, the provincial government decided to dismiss 57 protesting doctors in Faisalabad. The district administration and the Punjab Health Department initiated action against the protesting doctors in Faisalabad and issued notices of suspension to several of them. DCO Faisalabad Naseem Sadiq said the process of appointing new doctors had been started after the protesting doctors were dismissed. He said interviews of 70 candidates were conducted and 32 had been appointed. He said the protesting doctors had been given a day to resume their duties, adding that otherwise action would be taken against them on Thursday (today). Meanwhile, a young girl died in Sialkot District Hospital on Wednesday. According to TV reports, Iram died on a stretcher after waiting for hours to be treated. The reports said doctors refused to treat her as they were on a strike. The death sparked protest in the area with family of the girl demanding registration of an FIR against the protesting doctors.