A large number of medical and non-medical employees of the hospitals in the capital on Tuesday gathered at Kalsoom Chowk and staged a sit-in to press the government to accept their demands. They also observed hunger strike due to which some female protesters fell unconscious and were shifted to hospitals. The staff of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Federal Government Poly Clinic (FGPC) and National Institute of Rehabilitative Medicine (NIRM) participated in the protest. Addressing the protesters, Joint Action Committee (JAC) Chairman Manzar Abbas Naqvi said that majority of the staff were in favour of the old service and pay structure. He also urged the government to announce health risk allowance for the federal government hospitals staff.
Naqvi said that a delegation of the JAC met with federal ministers and senators from government benches who assured that their problems would be resolved. He added that they had also assured them of revising new service structure and early implementation of basic pay scales system in the federal government hospitals, but nothing had been done so far.
