Strike observed at ATH as demands remain unfulfilled

ABBOTTABAD: On the call of the Provincial Doctors Association (PDA), the doctor community observed complete strike at Ayub Teaching Hospital (ATH) on Thursday as their demands remained unfulfilled.

The protest was staged after the hospital administration and Board of Governors failed to fulfil the demands, which include provision of health professional allowance, security, accommodation, stipends’ arrears, PMDC exit examination issue of house officers and registration of doctors of dentistry department.

Except emergency cover, the entire hospital was paralysed as all indoor and outdoor services were suspended throughout the day. These included Out-Patient Department (OPD), operation theatres, laboratory, X-ray unit, physiotherapy and Blood Bank.

Patients from far-flung areas faced problems, especially the patients who were on operation theatre lists. PDA President Dr Aminullah Afridi and secretary Dr Zaheer Abbas criticised the hospital administration for not fulfilling their demands.

They vowed to continue the strike indefinitely till the acceptance of demands. The doctors urged the hospital administration to take immediate steps for security of the doctors or else
they would continue the protest at the ATH and would extend it to the entire province.

The PDA president said that despite the fact that the hospital has open space for construction of hostels and has already got sanction of a hostel, the hospital administration is least bothered about it. He believed the MTI Act was being misused by the BoG chairman and hospital administration for own interests.