RAWALPINDI, Aug 4: Young doctors declared a social boycott against 50 ad hoc doctors, appointed recently at hospitals in the garrison city.

The Young Doctors Association (YDA) hung banners at all three hospitals emblazoned with abusive language and slogans against the new doctors. Some of these banners declared the doctors untrained and warned people not to consult them.

The Holy Family Hospital (HFH) administration has not removed the banners in case of a backlash from the organisation. Rawalpindi Medical College (RMC) Principal Prof Dr Musadaq Khan said that these doctors were recruited during the young doctors’ strike in order to provide better health facilities to patients.

He added that these doctors were trained and had three to four years of experience working at public hospitals. He said that the administration and government fully protected these doctors and ensured their security.

He also said that the banners would be removed soon, and that the administration would not allow the YDA to humiliate government officials.

HFH officials told Dawn that the YDA had been sending threatening messages to doctors.

Soon after, however, the YDA began to use posters and banners to display their resentment. The hospital administration’s failure to remove such displays has humiliated the newly recruited doctors.One of the newly recruited doctors – requesting not to be named – claimed that his colleagues at the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) have started to give the new recruits night duties to push them to resign.

A new recruit at the HFH disclosed that his colleagues faced humiliation at the hostels as well, and were being labelled ‘traitors’ and ‘PCO doctors’ by the YDA.

He added that in a time of unemployment, they had no option but to accept the government’s offer to work at public hospitals, and that they would not have been employed if they were inexperienced.

Others have declared the YDA’s campaign as immature, and urged the young doctors to accept their colleagues.

On the other hand, YDA Punjab Chairman Dr Muhammad Haroon said that the YDA condemned the “illegal” appointment of ad hoc doctors by the Punjab government and demanded their removal.

“All appointments of doctors had been done only after Punjab Public Service Commission interviewed them. Ad hoc appointments were illegal in the province as it was against its own rules,” he said.

He said that to accommodate these doctors, the administration would have to let some young doctors go, and that the YDA would not allow the government to take action against the young doctors.