Patients suffer as JPMC, NICH employees boycott duties

Karachi
The staff of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) boycotted work in the largest healthcare facilities of the province on Thursday against non-payment of their health allowance.
All activities in out-patient departments (OPDs), operation theatres, medical examinations, radiology department at the NICH and JPMC remained suspended on account of the boycott by their staff, including paramedics and nurses.
Scores of surgeries were postponed since paramedics and nurses were not available to assist the surgeons.
However, the emergency departments and intensive care units of both hospitals remained functional and doctors and paramedics continued to work and treat the patients in need of urgent medical care.
The call for protest was given by the Joint Action Committee of JPMC and NICH employees, who claimed that despite repeated reminders, protests and warnings, the Sindh health department was not ready to listen to their demands.
On the other hand, hundreds of patients, including those who arrived from the interior of the province and cities adjoining Karachi, had to waste a day or return home without receiving any treatment.
Leaders of the Joint Action Committee of JPMC and NICH, Haji Gul Saeed, Zaryab Tiwana, Abdul Wahid, Ismail Jiskani and others vowed that they would continue their protest and would not hesitate in shutting down both hospitals if they were not paid health allowance on the pattern of hospitals in Punjab.
Meanwhile, the JPMC’s executive director Prof Dr Anees Bhatti and NICH director Dr Jamal Raza met the protesting employees and advised them to end the boycott. The top officials assured the leaders of Joint Action Committee that they would raise their demands with the authorities and urged them not to inconvenience such a large number of patients.
They promised to raise the demands of protesters and also try to get the government pay other monetary benefits to the staff of both government-run hospitals.
Deputy Commissioner South Saleem Rajput also negotiated with the protesting employees and promised to forward their demands to the Sindh chief secretary Muhammad Siddique Memon and health secretary Iftikhar Shallwani.
On this assurance, most of the associations’ protesters dispersed however, a few of them refused to end the boycott and said they would continue with the protest unless they receive a notification that their demands had been accepted.