PESHAWAR: Doctors from three hospitals of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continued their protest, boycotting their work at Outpatient Departments (OPDs) here on Monday.
The doctors’ strike entered second week on Monday that had started after the Provincial Doctors Association’s call for a protest drive against what the doctors said were the ‘growing security threats’ and kidnapping of their colleague for ransom.
The doctors at Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), Peshawar and Ayub Teaching Hospital (ATH), Abbotabad did not attend patients in the OPDs except for the emergency cases. However the doctors had called off their strike in the Lady Reading Hospital following the recovery of the kidnapped doctor, Dr Intekhab Alam on Thursday last.
On Monday doctors held protest demonstration in KTH demanding the government to ensure foolproof security to the medical practitioners inside the government-run hospitals as well as at their private clinics.
PDA’s demands include fool-proof security for the doctors, revision of their service structure and their allowances and a raise in stipends to house job doctors and the trainee doctors. PDA also sought safe recovery of their two missing colleagues.
Dr Dilaram Khan, a PDA’s spokesman said they would continue with the strike until their demands were met. “Provincial Finance Minister Humayun Khan and Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain had promised in a press conference that government would grant their demands,” he added.
He warned the government that the strike could be extended to other hospitals of the province that was hitherto limited to on three hospitals. Dilaram blamed bureaucracy for the delay in response to their demands.
The OPDs patients have been suffering for a week due to doctors’ strike. Some of the patients, who were denied treatment due to doctors’ strike, told Pakistan Today that they could not afford high fee of doctors at their private clinics. However, the doctors at Hayatabad Medical Complex have set up free medical camps outside the hospital. This scribe made several attempts to talk to KP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar on phone but he did not receive the call.
