Patients suffer as doctors, paramedics protest hospitals’ privatisation plan, boycott OPDs for 2 hours
Nurses federation gives 48-hour ultimatum to Sindh govt to withdraw privatisation plan, warns of ‘complete strike across province’ if demands not met
Doctors, paramedical staff and nurses associations across Sindh boycotted duties in the out-patient departments (OPDs) of government hospitals for two hours on the call of Sindh Health Employees Action Committee to protest against the government’s plan to privatise some hospital in the province.
The healthcare system remained partially disturbed on Monday in all major public hospitals of Karachi city due to the boycott of employees which increased the miseries of visiting patients who came to the hospitals after travelling long distances from different areas of city and interior parts of Sindh.
The medical and paramedical staff boycotted duties in Civil Hospital Karachi, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, National Institute of Child Health, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Lyari General Hospital and other hospitals. The boycott started at 11 am and continued till 1 pm. Later, doctors’ forums, paramedical staff organisations and nurses associations also protested outside Karachi Press Club (KPC).
The protesters were led by Sindh Health Employees Action Committee members Dr Nisar Ali Shah, Dr Nawaz Mallah, Akhlaq Ahmed, Suleman Memon, Ismail Jaskani, Salamti Khokhar, Qayyum Marwat, Tariq Mangi, Haq Nawaz, Syed Shahid Iqbal, Yousif Khan, Samad, Ejaz Ali Kaleri and Abdul Wahid.
Addressing the protesters, Dr Nisar said the government’s privatisation plan of public hospitals was unacceptable because it would disturb the health delivery system in the province.
Provincial Nurses Association (PNA) Karachi Division General Secretary Abdul Wahid said privatisation of hospitals was not acceptable at any cost. He said complete strike would be observed throughout the province if authorities concerned did not withdraw their plan.
Pakistan Nurses Federation Central Executive Committee Member Qayyum Marwat has given 48-hour ultimatum to the provincial government to approve the service structure of employees and withdraw the statement of privatisation of public healthcare, “otherwise a complete strike would be observed across the province”.
Sindh Paramedical Staff Welfare Association Central leader Akhlaq Ahmed Khan appealed to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari to play their role for withdrawal of directives issued by the provincial government “in order to end the uncertainty prevalent among doctors, nursing community and paramedical staff”.
