Young doctors refuse to trust on assurance of Sindh CM's advisor

KARACHI: Pressing for arranging a meeting with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, protesting young doctors have refused to trust the assurance extended by Advisor to Chief Minister Sindh for Information and Law Barrister Murtaza Wahab, ARY News reported.

The government had assured to issue an official notification after cabinet approval regarding demands of the doctors, but it could not materialise.

On the other hand, the government sources said negotiations failed because of doctors’ continued strike.

The Young Doctors Association (YDA) said they had asked the CM’s advisor to schedule a meeting with the Sindh CM. The YDA said they could not end their strike just on the assurance given by Murtaza Wahab.

The doctors said the chief minister had refused to meet and give them assurance in writing.

“Without any assurance we cannot end out strike,” they maintained adding that boycott of Out Patient Departments (OPDs) will continue from Karachi to Kashmore.

Fours patients have died so far as doctors in government hospitals across Sindh continued their strike for a fifth consecutive day on Sunday.

The OPD and other operations in the hospitals across the province, including Karachi’s Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Dr Ruth Pfau Hospital and National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases remained suspended due to the strike, however, doctors ensured to perform their duties in emergency and other wards.

The provincial government has accepted their demands to raise their pay-scale and other perks. Nevertheless, the doctors want Sindh government to issue an official notification for the pay raise. “The protest will continue till the notification is issued,” they had said.