The Post Graduate Private Trainee Doctors Association has threatened to go on a strike, demanding that the authorities clear their dues and increase salary.

After a human-chain demonstration next to the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka on Saturday, their representatives met Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.

The minister assured them of looking into their demands.

The association has asked the authorities to increase the salary of intern doctors to Tk 30,000 and the salary of postgraduate private trainee doctors to Tk 50,000. They also demanded that the due bills of FCPS, resident and non-resident doctors be cleared.

Trainee doctors have been deprived of their allowances for the last nine months, according to the protesters.

Private medical organisations have stopped providing allowances to resident and diploma trainees, said Jabir Hossain, the president of the Post Graduate Private Trainee Doctors Association.

The trainee doctors have also demanded that allowances of resident and non-resident doctors in 12 private institutes under Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University be reintroduced and the Doctors Protection Act be implemented after passage in parliament.

"The authorities promised us to increase our allowances in January. But they are not meeting our demands. So, it has become impossible for us to meet our family expenses. We will stop performing duties at emergency departments if our demands are not fulfilled,” according to Jabir.

"The health minister has assured us of resolving the issue in 24 hours. The minister said a meeting on the issues is supposed to take place on Sunday. We will be informed of the outcome of the meeting around 1pm,” Jabir added.