LAHORE: Activists of Young Doctors Association (YDA) resumed work at outpatient departments and indoor wards of all teaching hospitals on Tuesday as their talks with the Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education (SHME) Department ‘remained meaningful’ the previous night.

“We have also withdrawn the call to stop work at the emergency departments,” YDA general secretary Dr Atif Chaudhry told newsmen at Services Hospital.

He said the SHME Department agreed to accept all the YDA demands including reinstatement of all doctors sacked during strike, revision of central induction policy and regularisation of the services of all doctors working on ad hoc basis.

A member of the SHME Department team involved in negotiations with YDA office-bearers told Dawn that the action was taken by the academic councils of relevant medical education institutions besides the disciplinary committees of teaching hospitals concerned against the absent and protesting doctors.

“The YDA people agreed that the academic councils and disciplinary committees will decide the fate of absent medics and strikers. They also agreed that the academic councils of medical education institutions concerned would recommend adjustment in number of seats allocated for induction of postgraduate trainee doctors to various specialities under the central induction policy. Furthermore, they also accepted our request to wait as a summary for regularisation of services of ad hoc doctors will be sent to the chief minister for approval,” said the SHME Department official.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2017