Police baton charge protesting doctors, paramedical staff in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Police on Tuesday baton charged protesting doctors and paramedical staff in the federal capital.

Police used force against the protestors when they were trying to march towards the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.

The doctors and paramedical staff are observing a strike today against the freezing of their risk health allowance and took out a rally towards the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.

According to reports three to four doctors were detained by the police and later released.

As a result of the protest, OPDs in major hospitals of the federal capital are closed causing difficulties for patients.

The risk health allowance had been approved by the Pakistan Peoples Party government in 2012 but was frozen by the incumbent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.

Protesting doctors and paramedical staff said they would continue their strike until their demand of the health risk allowance being unfrozen is not met.