The young doctors continued their strike for the 9th consecutive day on Wednesday, creating hardships for patients as well as their attendants. The OPDs of various public sector hospitals are shut across the province despite claims of the government of making alternative arrangements. In Punjab Institute of Cardiology and other hospitals, attendance of doctors is being monitored by the health department officers, sources said. Besides Lahore, the strike also continued in other cities of the province. In Multan, according to reports, doctors were on duty only in the emergency wards of hospitals.
Meanwhile, 855 newly-trained postgraduate trainee doctors have joined different teaching hospitals across the province. A total 878 PGRs were selected in third round of online central induction policy of specialized healthcare and medical education department in July 2017, a spokesman of the department said. The working of public sector hospitals would be improved after the joining of 855 PG doctors in different hospitals, he added.
The newly-inducted PGRs would play a significant role in providing medical treatment to the poor patients coming to the hospitals. Moreover, shortage of specialist doctors in different medical specialties would also be minimized. According to the report issued by the specialized healthcare and medical education department, 855 postgraduate trainee doctors joined 33 different teaching hospitals across the province.