Patients continue to suffer as YDA strike enters 13th day

FAISALABAD/MULTAN: Healthcare delivery at all public hospitals of Punjab remained suspended as the Young Doctors Association's (YDA) strike entered its thirteenth day on Sunday.

Patients continued to suffer as young doctors refused to resume duties in outdoor, indoor, and emergency wards in state-run hospitals across Faisalabad and Multan.

The association has demanded that the provincial health secretary, Najam Ahmad Shah, be removed from his position and the Centralised Induction Policy (CIP), introduced by him, be revoked.

According to the protesting doctors, the CIP discriminates between doctors who have graduated from government institutes and those who have received their education from private ones. Since a majority of the doctors have graduated from private medical colleges, they want a ‘fair’ system to be put in place.

Punjab Minister for Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Khawaja Salman Rafique invited the YDA for negotiations on Thursday, however, the meeting reaped no positive results as the striking doctors refused to take back their demands.