CHK doctors protest against 'demands delayed'

KARACHI: Doctors and paramedics of Civil Hospital, Karachi on Saturday refused to attend patients at the out-patients departments (OPDs) due to delay in acceptance of their demands viz a viz promotions, and regularization of all adhoc and on contract doctors serving at different provincial government facilities.

The protesting doctors and paramedics after raising slogans in favour of their demands also blocked M.A Jinnah Road for a while, that, however, badly disturbed the traffic flow at one the city's major thoroughfare.

Sindh Minister for Health, Dr. Saghir Ahmed, alongwith Health Secretary, Syed Hashim Raza and Additional Secretary, Dr. Suresh Kumar, soon arrived to pacify the doctors and assured them that he as their representative, would re-communicate their demands to the chief minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah.

He told the protestors that all their demands and the fact that some of their colleagues have also resorted to hunger strike has already been communicated with due request for early acceptance of all genuine demands.

Dr. Saghir Ahmed and other members of provincial cabinet including Syed Sardar Ahmed, Pir Mazhar ul Haq and Syed Murad Ali Shah will also hold a meeting on Sunday and forward their recommendations to the Sindh Chief Minister, for early acceptance of all genuine demands of the doctors.

Dr. Khalil Pathan one of the doctors, on hunger strike, told APP that his colleagues were compelled to protest as despite being on hunger strike and resorting to peaceful means for acceptance of their demands no action was being taken.

"A significant number of our colleagues did not get promoted to next grades for past 17 years while despite availabiliy of vacancies adhoc and contract doctors were not regularized", he said.

He said doctors did not want to cause inconvenience to the patients and do hope that their long pending demands would be accepted by the government.

Teams of doctors, two from Civil Hospital and one each for Civil Hospital, Sukkur and Larkana are on hunger strike since Monday.

Sindh Health Minister managed to convince them to take essential medicines on Saturday so as to avoid any risk to their health, said one of the doctors. (APP)