October 18, 2006	Wednesday	Ramazan 24, 1427

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PESHAWAR, Oct 17: Trainee doctors working in three major hospitals in Peshawar have called for restoration of their stipend and said they would observe a token strike if the provincial government did not revoke its decision within 24 hours.

Addressing a press conference at the press club here on Tuesday Dr Abdul Qadir, president of the interim cabinet of the newly-formed Provincial Doctors’ Association, said that the provincial government through a notification had stopped the trainees’ stipend from October 2006.

He said that if their demand was not accepted, then they would lodge their protest by staging a token strike.

Dr Abdul Qadir feared that under the Public Service Commission rules, if trainees of any speciality of the postgraduate medical institute was not being paid stipend, it would be derecognised, which would affect the trainees future. He said that during their strike they would provide emergency services.

He said that while the Punjab government had increased the stipend of the trainees from Rs10,000 to Rs16,000, but he regretted that instead of increasing, the MMA government stopped it altogether, adding that the trainees were facing great difficulties.

He said that the doctors in the Frontier province had formed Provincial Doctors Association for the resolution of their problems.

He said that they had full support of the provincial authorities for the formation of the new association, as they had been provided offices at three teaching hospitals. He said that the association’s aimed at resolving doctors problems through talks and peaceful means.

He said that the interim cabinet of the association would hold elections of the association within two months.

He said that the new cabinet included Dr Abdul Qadir, provincial president, Dr Abdul Aziz, senior vice-president, Dr Shahswar, general secretary, Dr Zubair deputy general secretary, Dr Mujeeb, finance secretary, Dr Arshad Hussain joint secretary and Dr Ishfaq Khattak, press secretary.