On Friday morning, the Young Doctors Association KP said they’ll hit the streets if the provincial government doesn’t fix salaries in the new budget. The warning came just hours after Finance Minister Aurangzeb presented the federal budget for 2026-27 in Islamabad.
“We demand that the provincial government and the health minister ensure full implementation of the proposal in the budget. Otherwise, we will be left with no option but to protest,” said the YDA president.
What’s the actual issue?
Doctors in Peshawar were expecting a salary increase in this year’s budget. Healthcare workers have been asking for better pay for months, especially with inflation still biting and fuel costs going up after the Iran war pushed oil prices back into double digits.
But the budget announcements didn’t include the raise they were promised. For young doctors working 12-hour shifts in hospitals like Lady Reading and KTH, that’s a problem. Many are already handling extra workload because of staff shortages across KP.
The federal budget did focus on giving relief to salaried workers and exporters, but KP’s young doctors say the province didn’t pass that relief on to them. Now they’re saying the government needs to act before they take it to the streets.
Budget context
This year’s budget is worth Rs18.77 trillion and the government is trying to balance IMF conditions with public pressure. Defence got a big bump too – Rs3 trillion, up 18% because of security concerns on the Afghan border.
But for doctors on the ground in Peshawar, numbers on paper don’t mean much if their paychecks stay the same.
What happens next
The YDA hasn’t announced a date yet, but they’ve made it clear: no salary revision, no compromise. If KP’s health department doesn’t move fast, Peshawar’s hospitals could see OPD closures and emergency-only services, like we’ve seen in past protests.
Final thought
It’s a tough spot for everyone. The government is juggling IMF targets, defence spending, and inflation. But you can’t run hospitals without doctors, and doctors can’t keep working at a loss.
Young doctors aren’t asking for anything fancy, just the raise that was discussed. If the province ignores them, it won’t just be a budget issue anymore. It’ll be a healthcare crisis. Hopefully cooler heads sit down before patients end up paying the price.
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