LAHORE - Pakistan Medical Association, Young Doctors Association, Paramedical Staff and other association of doctors have said health has totally been neglected in the provincial budget 2010-11 by the Punjab government. Dr Abrar Ashraf, Dr Tanveer Anwar, Dr Sarwar Ch, Dr Kamran Saeed, Dr Ashraf Nizami, Dr Shahid Malik, Dr Tariq Rehmani, Dr Rana Sohail, Dr Salman Kazmi, Dr Tahla Sherwani expressed these views in a press conference held at Lahore Press Club on Monday. They were of the view that instead of opening new medical colleges and hospitals in the province the government has increased 452 seats in the existing colleges where capacity is only of 150 students. If the number of students is increased to 300 per class, the situation of medical education would further deteriorate. The doctors organisations have been protesting for a special pay package for doctors and paramedics for the last several months but nothing had been announced for doctors pay in the budget. We fear that 50 per cent ad-hock relief would not be implemented on the pay of HOs and PGRs. The office-bearers added the doctors and public were both suffering in the hospitals, and doctors and paramedical staff including nurses were forced to leave the country because of low salary packages. The PMA has added the only way to solve all the problems was to increase the health budget by 400 per cent and announce a special salary package for doctors and paramedics. New hospitals need to be constructed and the only way to stop the Brain Drain is to give doctors not only a substantial pay raise but also announce a regular service structure for the doctors community, it demanded. All the doctors association plan to launch a protest movement in this regard in near future if the govt failed to accept their demands.