LAHORE, June 22: The strike of young doctors at the public-sector hospitals entered fifth day on Friday.

The doctors refused to attend patients who visited the outpatient departments in the hope of getting treatment.

The Pakistan Medical Association`s Punjab chapter has called its provincial council meeting on Sunday at the PMA House to devise a further course of action regarding the strike.

No further dialogue or meeting was held between the government representatives and the striking doctors on the issue of service structure.

Sources said a majority of the youngdoctors who were assigned duties in other departments/wards of the government hospitals remained absent from their duties. The managements of the hospitals were reluctant to take action against the `absent doctors` when the matter was brought to their notice.

Meanwhile, the senior doctors also continued to ignore the patients and preferred to stay at their offices instead of taking round of their respective wards. As the proposed service structure was also carrying huge incentives for the senior doctors, sources said, they had been instigating the junior medics for agitation.

An official handout said ChiefMinister Shahbaz Sharif had urged the doctors to serve the ailing, setting aside their issues.

He praised the services of doctors in fighting dengue. He said emoluments for doctors had already been increased.

Speaking to a delegation of doctors at his tent office at Minar-i-Pakistan, he reiterated that all possible resources had been utilised for the good of doctors. He said a healthcare commission had been set up to streamline facilities.

He took it as an opportunity to deplore loadshedding which, he said, had crippled life.