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Abducted Ophthalmologist Freed As Pakistan Doctors' Strike Continues


Doctors have been on strike in Balochistan since last month.
Doctors have been on strike in Balochistan since last month.
QUETTA, Pakistan -- Kidnappers have freed a prominent ophthalmologist in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan Province.

Relatives of Saeed Ahmed Khan announced his release on November 28.

It's not clear if a ransom was paid.

Khan's abduction last month led to a doctors' strike in the sparsely populated province. The walkout stopped almost all emergency services in the hospitals in the provincial capital, Quetta.

Thousands of patients have been turning to the military hospital, which is the only working medical center in the city of 1.5 million people.

The Pakistan Medical Association's office in Balochistan says there is no decision yet on whether the strike should be stopped.

The kidnapping of doctors for ransom is an ongoing problem.

At least 27 doctors have been killed and 12 more kidnapped in Balochistan Province over the past five years.
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