RAWALPINDI, July 7: Young doctors in three allied hospitals here on Saturday rejoined duties in the emergency and inpatient departments on the directives of Lahore High Court.

However, their association said the doctors would resume work at the outdoor patient departments from Monday.

Justice Ejazul Ahsan of the LHC on Friday ordered the Young Doctors Association (YDA) to call off the strike and return to their duties in the outdoor emergency and indoor departments. Upon this, the doctors association called a meeting and decided to end the strike.

The OPDs at Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Holy Family Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital were being run by army doctors and senior doctors. “The situation has improved after over 500 young doctors returned to the emergency and wards of the three hospitals,” said Rawalpindi Medical College Principal Prof Mussadiq Khan while talking to Dawn.

He said RMC was not taking any action against the striking doctors as the Lahore High Court had stayed all the actions taken by the provincial government during the last two or three days.

He said wards and emergency departments in the hospitals were running as per their routines.

In reply to a question about withdrawal of services of 15 army doctors from OPDs, the principal said the decision would be taken on Monday. “If young doctors start work in OPDs, there will be no need of the army doctors,” he said.

“We will join our duties in OPDs from tomorrow (Monday). The OPDs will start working and young doctors would try their best to provide better services to the patients,” said Dr Mohammad Haroon, the YDA Punjab chapter chairman.

He said the YDA ended its strike on court orders and for the sake of ailing people. He said the association did not withdraw from its right to seek better service structure and planned to struggle for the rights of the doctors in the courts.