Patients suffer as paramedical staff continue protest at Jinnah Hospital

KARACHI: The suffering of patients has not let up as the paramedical staff of the Jinnah Hospital continue their protest for the fourth consecutive day.

The protest remains the reason for the closure of OPDs and laboratories at Karachi’s largest hospital.

Thousands of patients have been unable to get medical care while over 450 operations have been postponed.

The administration of Jinnah Hospital has decided to deal with the protest strictly. A contingent of the police along with a water canon have been called to disperse the protesters.

On Tuesday, doctors at Karachi's largest public sector hospital ended their protest after two days of boycotting OPDs and ward services to demand payment of health risk allowance, increase in salaries and promotion of doctors.

A spokesman for the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) said that the administration would review the salaries of postgraduate medical employees in other province and then increase the salaries and allowances of JPMC employees accordingly, after which the doctors called off the boycott.

The doctors, paramedical staff and employees of JPMC claimed that they are entitled to receive health risk allowance equal to one basic salary, which is being paid to federal and provincial health employees except for Sindh.