MANSEHRA, Aug 26: The Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (Pima) has threatened to go on strike in the province if services of 185 doctors on contract were not regularised by the government.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Pima provincial president Dr Mohammad Qasim and general-secretary Dr Basharat Rehman claimed that the NWFP government wanted to terminate the services of the contractual doctors who had been serving for the last ten years at various health facilities and hospitals.

They said the Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal government had given a service structure for doctors but due to the slow implementation process, so far only grade 19 and 20 doctors had been promoted to the next scale while a majority of doctors in grade 17 and 18 were still awaiting promotions.

They called for an increase in the salaries of TMOs and house officer doctors in the province.

They expressed anger over the target killings of Dr Samiullah and Dr Zahid in Sawt and Dera Ismail Khan and demanded immediate arrest of culprits.

They said that government should not only pay compensation to the aggrieved families but also provide protection to doctors in the province.

They said the Pima was continuing its work in quake affected areas of the NWFP, adding that field hospitals were still operating in Balakot and Mansehra and medicines for over 1.5 million people were being distributed there every month.

They said the association would set up an eye check-up camp in Balakot on September 4 and 5 at which renowned doctors from the country would be called in.