ISLAMABAD, Jan 5: The stipend of trainee doctors of the federal government will be raised within a week or so after the approval of the finance ministry, secretary health Ejaz Rahim said.

Talking to this agency on Sunday after the concluding session of national symposium on special persons, he said the ministry had sent its recommendations to the finance division and hoped that the decision would be taken soon.

He said the raise, which had been recommended, was similar to the one the trainee doctors received in Punjab. The raise in the stipend, he said, was the right of the doctors and would improve their efficiency.

Answering a question regarding a strike call by the trainee doctors to press for the raise, he said there was no such call and there are some elements which have vested interests only to create problems. — APP