PESHAWAR, Jan 9: Doctors of the provincial capital's three governmentrun teaching hospitals on Monday went on a three-day strike to protest the killing of local cardiologist Dr Mohammad Jamal, who was found dead on January 7 in Khyber Agency two months after kidnapping.

The strike, which was observed on the call the Provincial Doctors' Association (PDA), stressed out visitors to Khyber Teaching Hospital, Lady Reading Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex as either their examination and operations were rescheduled or they were denied admission to outpatient departments.

Consultants, however, rejected the strike call and continued with private practice, saying the boycott of the duty would distress visitors, mostly poor people.

'I have already received fee from pa-tients for next week. Patients are anxiously awaiting their turns. I cannot go on strike due to my commitment to patients,' said a consultant.

Many patients got themselves examined at Dabgari Gardens, the biggest clinical centre in the province, on payment.

Patients and their relatives protested outside the three hospitals against strikers.

Jamilur Rehman, a kidney patient from Mardan, said outside the Lady Reading Hospital that doctors had wellpaid jobs but were by and large indifferent to the misery of patients in case of strike.

He said doctors should ensure patient care by all means by honouring their Hippocratic Oath, which they took at the time of graduation.

'Kidnapping is a general problem which they (doctors) should take up withthe relevant officials of the government departments and agencies for corrective measures. However, they have no right to shut down OPDs, operation theatres and laboratories at (government) hospitals,' said Mr Rehman.

Meantime, PDA decided in a meeting at Khyber Medical College that the strike would continue until Dr Jamal's killers and those of Dr Talal, who, too, was shot dead by his kidnappers in Haripur of late, were arrested.

Participants criticised the government over rising incidents of kidnapping of doctors in the province and said medical practitioners felt very insecure and didn't perform duty diligently due to life threats.

They demanded judicial inquiry into the two doctors' killing for identification and punishment of the culpable people and that the government ensure safety of medical practitioners.