01 March 2004	Monday	09 Muharram 1425

LARKANA, Feb 29: The Pakistan Medical Association, Larkana chapter, supporting a protest call of Sindh Doctors Alliance, has demanded that the Sindh government should regularize the services of 706 contract doctors.

The PMA and SDA leaders held a joint meeting on Sunday and expressed concerned over the delay in issuing the notification to this effect. They said four months had passed since the announcement of regularization of the contract doctors but the notification had been held up.

They called for initiating an action against those who had delayed the process. Meanwhile, the contractual doctors, led by Dr Govinda Bhojwani, took out a procession and marched on the main roads of city.

They also staged a sit-in outside the Jinnah Bagh and announced that they would launch a hunger strike campaign from March 5 to pressure the government to accept their demands.

ACCIDENT: A 10-year-old boy, Masood Kolachi, died in the Chandka Medical College Hospital here on Sunday. He was brought in precarious condition after being hit by a Larkana-bound wagon. He was a resident of Mehar town.

NAZIM: District Nazim Khursheed Ahmed Junejo has lifted the ban on utilization of School Management Committees funds.

Sources in the Nazim's secretariat told this correspondent that the decision was caused by a Sindh government objection over freezing of the funds as the district government did not have authority to exercise such powers. The EDOs of finance and education and members of monitoring committees have been informed about the lifting of the ban.