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Friday March 29, 2024

After nurses, it’s doctors’ turn to ask for pay raise

By M. Waqar Bhatti
February 23, 2017

Civil Hospital’s patients suffer as young doctors boycott OPD services

Harking back to the nurses’ three-day protest that ended less than a fortnight ago, Civil Hospital Karachi’s (CHK) postgraduate doctors boycotted the outpatient departments (OPDs) and elective surgeries on Wednesday to demand a raise in their salaries.

While the nurses’ sit-in ended on February 9 after the government promised them to ensure better working conditions, the doctors seem to be just getting started.

Many patients visiting the CHK suffered as the doctors insisted on being disbursed salaries consistent with the revised stipend announced in a government notification and warned of continuing their protest if the authorities ignored their demands.

They said that despite the September 2016 announcement of increasing postgraduate doctors’ stipend up to Rs65,000 a month, CHK doctors were still being paid Rs42,500 while many were getting even less, causing unrest among young doctors specialising in various disciplines of medical sciences.

“Today we gathered at the CHK’s trauma centre, from where we marched on the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS),” CHK Young Doctors Association (YDA) President Dr Waris Jakhrani told The News.

He said they boycotted the OPDs and elective surgeries at the Civil Hospital in protest against non-payment of their increased stipend, for which the Sindh Health Department had already issued a notification.

He claimed that postgraduate doctors bore most of the burden of patients as their professors and departmental heads were few in number and served only in the daytime, while the young doctors worked round the clock and were always available for emergency cases. “But instead of praising our services, we are being denied our due right.”

Chanting slogans, the protesting doctors asked the provincial government to provide them their dues as well as increased stipend and warned of continuing their protest until their demands were met.

Due to the boycott of the OPDs and elective surgeries, patients visiting the CHK from the old city areas as well as different parts of Lyari were forced to visit other public and private hospitals for treatment and other procedures.

Dozens of surgeries were indefinitely postponed because of the boycott by the young doctors, who were on the streets instead of supporting and assisting senior surgeons and professors in operation theatres.

“I visited the Civil Hospital for a hernia repair scheduled for today, but I was told that the surgery has been postponed,” complained an elderly Muhammad Ismail of Lyari’s Chakiwara locality. “They don’t know when they would operate on me, as the young doctors are on strike.”

Many patients turned away from the CHK were asked to approach other health facilities. Disappointed, they cursed the government and the doctors for increasing their sufferings.

YDA representatives said they would not resume their duties until they were paid their dues and increased stipend, for which they had struggled and faced hardships the previous year.

“We would be compelled to boycott the emergency services in the coming days if we are not paid our increased stipend,” warned Dr Jakhrani.

Authorities at the DUHS and the health department are receiving their due salaries and allowances but we, the young doctors, are not being denied our right, he added.

The CHK administration claimed that some patients suffered and a few surgeries were postponed but the overall situation remained under control, as senior doctors, registrars, professors and consultants carried out their responsibilities.