LAHORE: The Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab has withdrawn its call for strike at outdoor departments of government hospitals after the health department agreed to some modifications to the Centralised Induction Policy (CIP).
The CIP was proposed by the health department to ensure merit-based inductions of postgraduate trainees (PGTs) by ending monopoly of doctors. It was introduced after reports surfaced that some office-bearers and YDA Punjab leaders had earned hundreds of thousands of rupees by getting inducted PG trainees of their choice. They had allegedly taken Rs50,000 from each postgraduate student and got them inducted by forcing and blackmailing heads of medical institutions in the province, the health department was told.
The YDA Punjab, however, rejected the CIP and launched a protest on Thursday.
In the late night meeting, representatives of both young doctors and the health department agreed to introduce a policy with some modifications. Minutes of the meeting signed by both sides stated the CIP had been replaced with PG Policy 2016/Punjab Residency Programme, according to a copy of the minutes available with Dawn.
PG trainee candidates to apply to institutions on respective websites now
The minutes stated PGT candidates could apply to an institution on their respective portals and fill their forms there only.
“For filling of forms for other institutions, the applicant will have to login to that institute’s respective web page,” the minutes added.
All trainees completing the initial two-year training at public hospitals and intending to pursue level 3 sub-specialty training will be adjusted as paid PG trainees, preferably at the same institute.
The total number of posts of paid and unpaid PGTs to be inducted for July 2016 session will be 1,132, including 1,014 for Fellow of College of Physicians and Surgeons training and 118 masters in dentistry/surgery/dental surgery.
After reaching this agreement, the YDA gave an undertaking that it will not lodge any protest. YDA Punjab office-bearers also confirmed this agreement to the media at Lahore General Hospital. YDA Punjab President Dr Ajmal Chaudhry said his association and the health department had reached an agreement after some modifications to the CIP.
“From now onwards applications shall be submitted on the website of every institution separately. All the processes, including scrutiny, objections, merit list and orders, shall be issued at institution level,” he added.
Chaudhry said principals or heads of institutions shall have the authority to reappropriate PG seats as per institutional demands for the next induction. He further said according to the agreement, the cases of periphery ad hoc medical officers working for more than three years will be sent for conversion of their jobs on contract basis.
Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2016
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