LAHORE, April 19: The third round of negotiations between the striking doctors and government officials remained successful on Thursday and the Young Doctors Association Punjab announced end to its strike at public hospitals from Friday (today).
Law Minister Rana Sanaullah and YDA Punjab spokesman Dr Nasir Abbas announced at a press briefing that both sides had reached the consensus and there would be no strike from Friday.
Earlier, government representatives Rana Sanaullah, Khawaja Salman Rafique, health secretary Arif Nadeem and a delegation led by YDA’s Dr Nasir Abbas held a meeting at 90 Shahrah-i-Quaid-i-Azam to resolve the issue.
YDA representatives demanded service structure for doctors working at all public health facilities of the province and cancellation of the ‘controversial’ transfers. Both sides discussed all options to reach the solution and finally agreed that a committee should be formed within three days to prepare recommendations for the service structure, a major demand of the striking doctors.
The meeting lasted for two hours or so. Talking to the media about its outcome, Rana Sanaullah said the Punjab chief minister would form a committee consisting of secretaries of government departments, senior politicians and YDA representatives. Dr Abbas and other YDA leaders were also present.
The law minister said YDA would be given 50 per cent of representation in the committee, which shall prepare recommendations for the service structure within 30 days.
About transfers of doctors made by the health department, Rana Sanaullah said all transfers had been withheld for two weeks. A committee has been formed to review the controversial transfers in the given period, he said.
Dr Abbas endorsed the decisions taken in the meeting and announced withdrawal of the strike call. He said all striking doctors had been sent messages to join duties from today.
Earlier in the day, YDA leaders gave ‘tough time’ to government representatives in the second round of negotiations at the Allama Iqbal Medical College.
Special assistant to chief minister on health Khawaja Salman Rafique and health special secretary Dawood Bareach attended the meeting from the government side. Medical Teachers Association Punjab president Prof Dr Javed Akram was representing senior doctors in the meeting.
Rafique told YDA representatives that the health department was ready to cancel all controversial transfers of medical officers and postgraduate trainees.It was a surprise for him when YDA leaders backtracked from their primary demand for cancellation of transfers and said the protest was actually meant for a service structure. Government officials saw it as a U-turn by YDA, saying its new demand may sabotage the negotiations.
Bareach told the YDA that the Punjab government needed at least Rs32 billion to bring all doctors working at public health facilities of the province into a new service structure.
However, the YDA insisted that they were observing strike for the service structure only, not for cancellation of transfers. Some YDA activists became aggressive when government officials asked them to talk on the transfers issue.
After the deadlock both sides decided to start another round of negotiations in the evening that proved a success and the YDA ended its seven-day strike.