KARACHI, Jan 4: Postgraduate doctors of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre have called off their strike threatening at the same time that they will revert to it if the administration does not meet their demands within two weeks.

Sources told Dawn that following a general body meeting on Saturday morning, the postgraduate doctors had decided that they would call off their strike and return to work. However, the sources added that the meeting, which had been attended by more than 200 postgraduate doctors, had also decided that the Postgraduates’ Action Committee would closely monitor the work of a committee entrusted with the task of resolving the issue of stipends.

A member of the Postgraduates’ Action Committee, Dr Irfan Sattar, told Dawn that the committee, comprising senior doctors and representatives of the postgraduate doctors, would meet every Wednesday to resolve the issue of stipends on an emergency basis. “The Postgraduates’ Action Committee has decided to hold the general body meeting every Thursday to assess the work of the committee. If the committee fails to resolve the issue to the satisfaction of the postgraduate doctors within two weeks, they will resume their strike,” he said.

He added that the next time — if at all — the postgraduate doctors went on strike they would discontinue work for a short time. “This decision has been taken to ensure that the patients do not suffer because of the strike of the postgraduate doctors.”

He said that while the decision to call off the strike had been taken at the general body meeting, the postgraduate doctors had got back to work early in the morning because they had been informed in advance about the decision.

A spokesman for the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre administration said that the postgraduate doctors had not given a deadline. “They returned to work on Saturday morning with no strings attached. They have already been told by the federal health minister that the ministry is in the process of instituting a stipend for postgraduate doctors. There is no reason why they should create a law and order situation when they have been given assurances at the highest level.”

He said the postgraduate doctors had met the director of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and other senior professors at around 1pm on Thursday. “The director assured them that he would arrange their meeting with the federal health minister. Later in the day, they called on the federal health minister, who said that within three weeks a stipend would be instituted. A committee was also formed which decided to pursue the matter on a weekly basis.”

The postgraduate doctors went on strike on Wednesday demanding a monthly salary with arrears following an altercation with the federal health secretary, Ejaz Rahim, at the certificate-distribution ceremony at the College of Nursing. Mr Rahim had declined to speak to the postgraduate doctors saying that he had already taken the administrative steps requesting the government to institute a stipend for the postgraduate doctors.