PESHAWAR, Nov 29: The young doctors have threatened to launch a protest drive from Monday next if Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government fails to implement a Punjab-like service structure for them in the province.

Young Doctor Association (YDA) president Dr Alamgir told a press conference here on Thursday that doctors had given six months time, from April 2012 to October 2012, to the health department for holding talks regarding the implementation of the proposed service structure. But, the request fell on deaf ears, he added.

Flanked by a large number of doctors from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said that the delaying tactics by the government forced young doctors to plan province-wide strike in all public sector hospitals.

“We will launch the protest drive from Monday (Jan 3, 2013) by observing token strike for two hours in the hospitals of Mardan. We will extend the strike to Ayub Medical Collage, Hayatabad Medical Complex and other district hospitals of the province.

The strike duration can be increased even to 24 hours,” Dr Alamgir said.

Speaking on the occasion, YDA chairman Dr Malik Faisal Iftikhar said that it was beyond understanding as to why the provincial government was not serious in implementing the service structure.

“The proposed service structure is not only for the wellbeing of doctors but we have also identified grey areas in our health system that should be addressed immediately,” he added. He said that doctors would also stop private practice during the strike.

The doctors said that they were playing important role in provision of better healthcare to people in the terrorism-affected areas of the province. They added that their future was uncertain without the implementation of a comprehensive service structure.