QUETTA: Medical services remained suspended in two leading government-run hospitals of Balochistan for the second consecutive day on Saturday, causing great difficulties to patients who came from far flung areas.

The operations were suspended in Civil and Bolan medical college hospitals due to a token strike being observed by the Young Doctors Association (YDA).

“We are observing a token strike as a first step,” said YDA president Dr Yasar Khosti. For the time being doctors were boycotting OPDs for only two hours, he added.

He said that the YDA had been demanding for 600 positions for young doctors who were unemployed.

The association calls for establishing a dental college, bringing salaries of house officers at par with the packages of doctors in other provinces and establishing a specialist and management centre for dentistry.

Dr Khosti said doctors in the province should be given house requisition allowance.

The YDA announced that if its demands were not accepted its members would adopt a strict line of action.

The All Pakistan Par­amedical Staff Ass­ociation supported the YDA demands and joined the strike. PPSA president Jamal Shah Kakar said the government had been informed about lack of facilities for doctors.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2018