JPMC’s young doctors call off strike,paramedics keep protesting

Karachi
Hundreds of patients visiting both hospitals suffered on the second consecutive day and had to return home by the time young doctors of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and National Institute of Child Health (NICH) called off their strike by Tuesday evening.
On the other hand, the paramedical staff including nurses and ward boys continued their protest demonstration outside the JPMC auditorium, refusing to work till their demands were met.
The doctors and paramedical staff of both institutions boycotted the out-patient departments, ward services and refused to conduct any medical examination at laboratories and radiology departments for the second consecutive day on Tuesday.
The emergency wards at both hospitals, however, remained functional.
The young doctors demanded increase in their stipends and paramedics demanded health allowance equal to the salaries and allowances being paid in hospitals administered by the federal government and other provinces of the country.
As a result of the strike, out-patient departments remain shut and the routine functions in hospital wards was badly affected.
However, by the afternoon the JPMC administration cunningly managed to convince the young doctors to call off the strike by telling them that Rangers and police had been informed of the ‘trouble mongers’ and efforts were being made to resolve the issues of paramedics and doctors.
The young doctors called off their strike after negotiations with the JPMC administration which asked them to provide evidence of enhanced salaries being paid to postgraduate doctors and house officers in Punjab.
The president of Young Doctors’ Association, Dr Umer Sultan, said the protest was called off on the assurance of JPMC’s executive director Dr Anisuddin Bhatti that salaries would be increased by the Sindh health department.
He said the hospital administration had asked for evidence of enhanced salary packages of doctors in Punjab. “So we provided them with notifications issued by the Punjab government about salaries being paid to the postgraduate trainees and house officers,” he said.
On the other hand, JPMC’s executive director Dr Anisuddin Bhatti told newsmen that the administration had written letters to Sindh Rangers and SSP South Dr Jameel Ahmed for taking action against protesting doctors and paramedics, who’s illegal and baseless protest had resulted in a grave crisis for thousands of patients.
He said it were the patients who ultimately suffered on account of the protest which he suspected could be motivated by political reasons.
Dr Bhatti said the hospital administration was doing its best to resolve the issues facing doctors and paramedics and efforts for restructuring the pay scale were under way.
He said he had asked for evidence of the increased pay scale in Punjab so the Sindh government could be convinced over the matter and give matching stipends to the local doctors.
Meanwhile, Dr Javed Jamali, a spokesman for the JPMC, denied the reports of deaths of patients. He confirmed that the young doctors had called off their strike on assurance of the JPMC administration and insisted that the hospital never seized functioning during the two-day boycott.
“Patients succumb to their ailments and wounds in routine at a large hospital like the JPMC and this has nothing to do with the strike of doctors and paramedics,” he claimed.

Paramedics continue strike
On the other hand, paramedical staff of both hospitals continued their boycott of health services. They vowed to continue the protest till health allowance was paid to them equal to the amount being given in Punjab.
A spokesman of for the paramedical staff of the JPMC, Ismail Jiskani, said though doctors had called off their strike, they would continue their boycott till the JPMC administration gave them concrete assurances for the payment of health allowances.