PESHAWAR: The Young Doctors Association (YDA) has demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to regularise the services of ad hoc medical officers and also approve Covid-19 allowance for them.

Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, YDA provincial president Dr Asfandyar Bhittani said mostly young doctors had been serving in the special coronavirus wards putting their lives at risk, but the government had not rewarded them by regularising their jobs.

Flanked by the association’s other members, the YDA chief claimed the provincial government had announced risk allowance for doctors when assigning their duties one and a half years ago, but it was yet to be provided to them.

Mr Bhittani also demanded increase in the health professional allowance for the doctors.

The YDA chief rejected the decision about holding National Licensing Examination (NLE) for the qualified doctors and said the step was tantamount to insulting them.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2021