Doctors to go on strike in four KP hospitals today

PESHAWAR: The Health Employees Coordination Council (HECC) and representatives of other doctors’ forums on Tuesday announced to observe a complete strike and suspend health services in the four Medical and Teaching Institutions (MTI)-Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) and Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) in Peshawar and Ayub Teaching Hospital (ATH) in Abbottabad today (Wednesday).

Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club, the HECC, association of doctors and other health employees at the LRH, and other doctors’ forums, said they would only provide emergency cover in the four teaching hospitals during their strike.

HECC president, Dr Musa Kalim, Young Doctors Association’s Dr Alamgir Yousafzai, YDA’s LRH president Dr Amjad Khan, PDF’s Dr Jan Baz Afridi and others, said they would suspend health services as a protest against new hospital timings, the alleged threatening attitude of chairman Board of Governor Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Prof Dr Nausherwan Burki with the hospital staff, dissolution of Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI), essential services, and in favour of health professional allowance for paramedics and other support staff, besides the doctors.

The doctors also resented what they termed punitive action by the government against some of the doctors and other health workers opposing the Medical and Teaching Institutions Reforms Act 2015, (MTI Act 2015).

They said Dr Javed, an associate professor of ENT at HMC and president of PGMITSA HMC, has been transferred to Bannu Medical College, Farukh Jalil, president Nursing Association, was transferred from LRH to Kohat and Riaz Burki, president Paramedics Association LRH, was transferred from LRH to Swat.

The doctors demanded cancellation of their transfer orders.They threatened to suspend emergency services in the four hospitals from toady if the government didn’t accept their demands.

They also expressed concern over out-of-order machines, lack of medicines and facilities to the staffers and has asked government to improve patients’ care by removing unrest among the doctors, paramedics, nurses and others employees after enforcement of the Medical Teaching Institutions Reform Act 2015 or face protest.

Dr Musa Kalim said the proposed duty hours at the hospitals in lieu of the new law weren’t appropriate as stakeholders hadn’t been taken into confidence.He demanded the government to restore free investigations services to the patients or they would call a meeting after 10 days where they would announce schedule for the protests.

Syed Roidar Shah asked the government to take onboard the employees of the institution in making important decision to provide effective care to the poor patients. He said they worked round-the-clock but received fewer facilities than their counter-parts in other departments and institutions.—Originally published in The News