Despite the provincial government's claim of termination of the strike by Young Doctors Association (YDA) a day earlier, patients in various hospitals across the province continue suffered heavily on Thursday, as young doctors have not yet resumed duties at OPDs and Indoor wards of hospitals.
Young doctors said they will continue to observe strike in OPDs and indoor wards until all the doctors charged in the murder of a child are released and cases against them are withdrawn. A representative of YDA Dr Amir Bandesh told reporters that doctors had not submitted an apology affidavit. He said that it is difficult to run emergency wards in the hospitals in the absence of young doctors.
He said the young doctors have resumed duties at emergency wards while strike of indoor and OPDs will continue till announcement of service structure for doctors and withdrawal of cases registered against them. It may be noted that the YDA's strike was called off after a meeting of senior doctors with the Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and it was resolved that all doctors shall resume duties in their respective hospitals forthwith.
Meanwhile, spokesman of Health Department Punjab said that all the detained young doctors have been released; however, four doctors accused in the murder of infant named Fahad could be only set free after the complainant's statement. According to him, all nine detained doctors were released on Wednesday night. The spokesman said that 100 percent doctors are working in PIC, adding that the situation in other hospitals is much better following the alternative arrangements made by the government.