RAHIM YAR KHAN: The Shaikh Zayed Medical College Hospital (SZMCH) principal allegedly raided hostels of doctors on Saturday night and threatened them along with police and senior doctors, claimed Young Doctors Association (YDA) leaders here on Monday.

YDA President Dr Amjad Hussain told Dawn that Prof Dr Mubarak Ali Chaudhry along with some senior doctors and police went to the hostels of doctors near Abu Dhabi Road and ordered them not to take part in the `negative activities` of YDA and later threatened them with a stern action.

He alleged that later the principal entered lady doctors` hostel which created panic among them.

He ordered them to resume their duties and not support the protesting doctors, but they refused.

The principal also pressurised the doctors with police action, he alleged.Dr Hussain said pressure from the administration could not stop them from demanding their rights. The principal was running all departments through final-year students, he claimed.

Talking to Dawn, SZMCH spokesman Muhammad Ilyas rejected the allegations of raids on hostels and claimed that the YDA was creating f alse propaganda on social media. Prof Chaudhry visited various hostels at 9:30pm on Saturday night and requested doctors to resume their duties and not become part of `negative activities`.

He claimed that all health services at the emergency, outpatient and other departments were being provided to patients despite the YDA strike.

He further said that on Monday the principal appointed 18 new doctors on an ad hoc basis through walk-in interviews.

YDA could not affect the services of SZMCH through its propaganda, he added.