YDA announces strike, OPDs boycott over non-payment of salaries

F.P. Report

KARACHI: Young Doctors’ Association (YDA) has announced to observe strike and boycott of Out-Patient Departments (OPDs) on Saturday (tomorrow) over non-payment of salaries.

Doctors were deprived of their salaries for the last four months at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital of Karachi.

The association has announced to record a ‘silent protest’ outside the Medical Superintendent (MS) Abbasi Shaheed Hospital over the issue.

Doctors said that the hospital administration had ensured to release pending salaries on April 12 but the issue is still unresolved. The young doctors have announced to observe strike and boycott of OPDs until provision of their salaries.

Earlier in February, the Young Doctors Association (YDA) had observed a province-wide strike at public hospitals, despite the Sindh government’s accepting their demand to increase their salary.

The Out Patient Department (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 except functioning of emergency and other intensive care wards.

The doctors had rejected to end days long strike until the provincial government issue an official notification for their pay raise.