Paramedics end boycott on health secy’s assurances

Karachi
The paramedical staff and nurses of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and National Institute of Child Health (NICH) called off their strike after four days on Thursday when their representatives finally relented and accepted a written assurance from Sindh Health Secretary Saeed Mangnejo.
He assured the protesters that the Sindh government would indeed begin payment of health allowance to the paramedical staff of both hospitals.
The employees had been boycotting their duties since Monday, practically paralysing the hospitals, demanding that they should be paid health allowance like paramedics working in hospitals of governed by the federal government and other provinces.
After four days of protest, the Sindh health department and civil administration felt the need to summon heavy contingents of police and Rangers at the JPMC on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the leaders of both hospitals’ Joint Action Committee (JAC) were invited for talks with the health secretary Saeed Mangnejo, where the representatives agreed to call off their four-day boycott of health services.
Officials of the health department and Sindh health secretary Saeed Mangnejo assured the protesters’ representatives that the
The secretary assured the representatives of protesting paramedical and nursing staff that the department was willing to pay their health allowance but the matter could not be processed on count of legal roadblocks.
He reiterated that unless the constitutional petition filed in the Sindh High Court against the devolution of the JPMC and NICH was decided, the payments could not be processed.
However, he made a written promise to the protesting paramedics that as soon as the high court decided the matter regarding the status of JPMC and NICH the issue of payments would be resolved. This prompted the protesters to relent and agree to resume work from Friday.
A spokesman for the JPMC, Dr Javed Jamali confirmed that the negotiations were successful, adding that the staff would resume work from Friday.
On the other hand, many paramedics and nurses expressed their disappointment over the “agreement” between the authorities and the JAC, commenting that their leaders had forsaken them and ended the protest without gaining anything in return except for hollow assurances.
They lambasted the JAC leaders including Gul Saeed, Ismail Jiskani, Shamim Bota, Zaitoon Bibi and others for “selling” the cause of paramedics and signing an agreement which was against the aspirations of the protesters.