Paramedics to stage protest

PESHAWAR: The Paramedical Association of Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) on Monday expressed concern over what they termed negative attitude of the hospital director towards them and announced to stage a protest demonstration on September 29 at the hospital.

In a statement, the association’s general secretary Mohammad Riaz Burki said the paramedics used all peaceful options to get attention of the hospital director towards their genuine problems but failed as the hospital administration repeatedly ignored them.

He said the association’s general body held its meeting with its president Syed Roeedar Shah at the LRH where paramedics’ president from Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), Mujahid Azam, Peshawar district president Mohammad Anwar Khan, vice president Zahid Orakzai were present.

He said the participants decided to unanimously struggle for rights.He said the paramedics had been demanding the hospital director to include them in the committees formed for dealing with paramedics’ issues, fill out all the vacant positions of paramedics as per law and merit, establish a separate canteen for the hospital’s staff, implement government policy about employees’ leave for Haj, Umrah and training and ensure earlier payment of routine share to them as done in KTH.

Riaz Burki complained the hospital director didn’t show seriousness in resolving these genuine problems and they had no other option but to suspend health services and stage protest demonstration. He said paramedics from other hospitals would gather at the LRH on September 29 and protest against the LRH hospital director for his negative approach toward paramedics.