The Neutral Doctors Community, which has been on strike for the past 24 days over its demand for a 30% increase in basic salaries in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has announced a boycott of hospitals and a move to doctors’ homes along with a pen-down strike.

Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, Neutral Doctors Community Chairman Dr Adnan Afridi said the protest would continue until a notification approving a 30% salary increase for doctors was issued.

He said doctors protesting at Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Peshawar were allegedly subjected to violence by security personnel the previous day. Following the incident, doctors decided to boycott hospitals and move to their homes for their safety.

According to Dr Afridi, emergency services would continue during the pen-down strike, while one doctor would remain on duty in each hospital ward to ensure that patients do not face difficulties.

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He said doctors demanding their rights were being subjected to violence inside hospitals, creating the impression that doctors were no longer safe in their own workplaces.

Dr Afridi alleged that the Health Department had kept doctors waiting in the name of negotiations and wasted their time. He said the doctors’ committee was already in place, while the government was talking about forming another committee.

He said the strike had continued for 24 days, yet the provincial government was saying that it did not need doctors. He added that if negotiations were held, they would now only be conducted with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and not with any other government representative.

The chairman of the Neutral Doctors Community said that if any attempt was made to harass doctors staying at their homes, action would be taken against those responsible.

He also demanded an investigation into the alleged violence against doctors at LRH and action against the security personnel allegedly involved, as well as those accused of ordering the alleged assault.

Dr Afridi said doctors had not received an increase in their salaries for the past two decades and were given only assurances in every provincial budget.

According to him, around 6,000 TMOs and HOs are currently on strike, but the government has not taken notice of the situation. He said doctors had continued to respond to emergencies and help the injured and affected people during disasters in the province despite their protests.

He made it clear that the protest would continue until the demand for a 30% increase in salaries was met, adding that further stages of the protest could be announced if necessary.