ISLAMABAD: Medical and para-medical staff of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Friday returned to work after calling off their 25-day long strike, bringing to an end the suffering of patients at one of the federal capital’s primary hospital.
The protesters had called off the strike after getting assurance for separation of PIMS from Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) by Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) State Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.
The medical and para medical staff of PIMS were on strike for the last 25 days, which paralysed essential services in PIMS hospital and added to the woes of poor patients.
Due to agitation, all the out-patient departments of the hospital remained non-functional due to which patients faced hardships as important operations could not be conducted due to absence of staff. The strike had also diverted a large number of patients to private hospitals and clinics for treatment, while those who could not afford the high fees were forced to stay at home.
Ali Asghar, a patient at PIMS, said, “We can now visit the hospital for treatment as doctors will now be available to check patients.” He said that most poor patients had suffered very much due to the long strike called by the hospital employees.
Another patient said that the hospital staff was happy now that their demands have been accepted, and the patients were happy because the hospital employees had called off their strike.
Talking to reporters, Dr Wasim Khawaja from PIMS said that medical practitioners were committed to ensure that patients did not suffer any more due to agitation. He said that the cabinet had approved the separation of the hospital from the university and expressed the hope that the bill in this regard would be passed by the parliament soon.