January 8, 2003	Wednesday	Ziqa’ad 4, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 7: The trainee doctors of the Federal Government Services Hospital (FGSH) on Tuesday termed Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) ineffective in representing the young doctors of the federal capital to help solve their problems.

In a resolution adopted during a protest meeting here at the FGSH, the trainee doctors criticized the PMA’s for not supporting them in their struggle to raise their monthly stipend, a hospital source told Dawn.

The doctors also condemned the health ministry’s proposal of raising the stipend of only trainee residential medical officers (TRMOs) doing FCPS, a specialization in different medical faculties, while ignoring house officers and doctors doing MCPS (member of college of physicians and surgeons).

The source said the doctors, who held the meeting at the library of the FGSH after their duty timings, also decided to resume “symbolic protest” by wearing black bands from next week. The silent protest would continue throughout the week.

The doctors have also decided to approach Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali, health minister Mohammad Nasir Khan, finance adviser Shaukat Aziz, information minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad and secretaries of health and finance during the protest week.

The doctors were particularly bitter over the fact that they were assured by different government functionaries that the health ministry had forwarded a proposal of raising the monthly stipend of the trainee doctors from Rs3,500 to Rs6,210. On the contrary, the health minister has suggested to raise the stipend of the TRMOs or the postgraduate medical residential (PGMRs) only.