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Pakistan: 2 more die during doctor strike

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 3 (UPI) -- As Pakistan's Young Doctor's Association enters its 14th day of protest, two more patients died without care Tuesday in Faisalabad, officials said.

Many striking doctors left the picket lines Tuesday to return to hospitals across the country, however, Geo News reported some 1,000 doctors remain on strike in Multan.

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Senior doctors at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology closed all hospital departments with the exception of the Emergency ward Tuesday as a show of protest against the arrest and torture of demonstrating doctors.

"Young doctors are the backbone of our system," Institute President Dr. Ijaz Ahsan said. "All arrested young doctors, particularly young doctors of [the Punjab Institute of Cardiology] should be released immediately."

Ahsan also told The Express Tribune the doctors that remained at the hospital were not sufficiently trained to handle heart patients.

"How do you expect new doctors to come and replace those who have already completed their training?" he said.

The protesting doctors are calling for higher wages for medical professionals and more funding for state-run hospitals. Geo News reported 11 people have died since the beginning of the strike due to lack of medical personnel.

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