RAWALPINDI, July 10: After the recruitment of 100 doctors by the provincial government during the young doctors’ strike, the Rawalpindi Medical College (RMC) has sought more funds for the salaries of the new inductions in the three allied hospitals in the city.The provincial government on Tuesday issued a notification to regularise the services of 50 doctors who had been hired during the strike on an ad hoc basis.

There are 1,210 seats of doctors in the three hospitals - Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital. The 50 newly-recruited doctors have been posted in the three hospitals through the Punjab Public Service Commission.

“As many as 100 seats of doctors have been increased in the three hospitals and we have written to the Punjab government to also increase our annual budget,” said RMC Principal Prof Mussadiq Khan while talking to Dawn.

He said the young doctors had also joined their duties in the hospitals. The administration had started filter clinics in the emergency departments to check outdoor patients after 2pm.

Prof Khan said after the end of the strike, the provincial government had withdrawn the services of army doctors and the OPDs would be solely run by young doctors from Wednesday.

He said the new doctors had joined various departments in the three hospitals, including OPDs, emergency and operation theatres. He said 44 doctors coming from the peripheries of the district during the strike were sent back to their respective basic health units.

Sources told Dawn that the provincial government would provide one month’s additional salary to the 44 doctors who performed duties in the hospitals during the strike.

Each doctor would get Rs25,000 extra with their July salary. They said the government had also assured the doctors of promotion in return for their services during the difficult times.

On the other hand, the young doctors have declared the newly- recruited doctors as allies of the government. One of the newly- appointed doctors on the condition anonymity said the young doctors were trying to give them night duties.