Punjab to hire doctors on contract basis amid YDA strike

LAHORE: The provincial government has acted swiftly to cover the shortage by employing doctors on a temporary or “locum” basis due to the young doctors’ strike throughout Punjab.

The Punjab health department reports that 450 physicians have received appointment letters to work in emergency rooms at public teaching hospitals throughout the province, including Lahore.

The action was taken following the announcement of a strike by the Young Doctors Association (YDA) in opposition to the government’s plan to outsource public healthcare facilities. To guarantee continuous patient care in OPDs and indoor wards, the Punjab government responded by authorizing the University of Health Sciences (UHS) Lahore to start employing locum physicians.

Salary for Doctors

Medical officers and women medical officers will receive Rs8,000 per shift under this scheme, while consultants and senior registrars (SRs) will receive Rs10,000 for an eight-hour shift.

In just one week, UHS has registered 4,500 physicians, including medical officers and consultants. Insiders claim that the registration response emphasizes Punjab’s high unemployment rate among qualified physicians.

The locum appointments are temporary and do not guarantee permanent employment, the government made clear. The hiring period is initially set at one month, but it may be prolonged if needed.

Physicians who are chosen for the program are expected to use a digital system to record their attendance, and medical superintendents will certify their presence during shifts.

Through UHS, payments will be sent straight to their bank accounts.

According to officials, similar locum hiring strategies are used all over the world, particularly in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Gulf states, to fill staffing gaps in healthcare systems.