Patients bear the brunt of ATH paramedics’ continuing strike

ABBOTTABAD: Due to apathy of the board of governors of Ayub Medical and Teaching Institution, the strike announced by the All Employees Coordination Council (AECC) at Ayub Teaching Hospital (ATH) entered fourth day on Saturday causing hardships to a large number of patients.

Except emergency cover, the 1000-bed hospital was paralysed as all outpatients department, operation theatres, laboratory, X-Ray unit, physiotherapy and blood bank remained locked. The accounts, establishment and budget sections of the hospital are also closed since Wednesday.

Although doctors have not announced their strike, the People’s Doctors Forum (PDF), Malgari Doctaran and Pakistan Islamic Medical Association have supported the ATH employees’ demands.

Ironically, none of the officials from the district government, hospital management or elected representative of Abbottabad tried to settle the issue.

The patients, especially those admitted in the hospital for surgeries, have no option but to pay huge fees privately for their surgical treatment as more than 200 surgery cases of eye, ENT, gynae, neuro, urology and dentistry couldn’t be operated due to the strike.

The acting hospital director, Major (R) Siddiqur Rehman, has been on leave while medical director Professor Dr Aftab Rabbani seems to be helpless as the board of governors has already disowned the agreement signed by him during negotiations with the staff.

None of the board of governors’ members has shown interest to resolve the issue. The board’s chairman has been quoted as saying that there should be no negotiations with the protestors.

Medical Director Professor Dr Aftab Rabbani, when contacted, showed his inability to get the strike called off. He confirmed that board of governors had disowned their settlement with the staff. He said he had brought the issue into the notice of board of governors’ chairman Jawad Panni but none of the members came to the hospital.

He said the government should fix responsibility in this context.

Meanwhile, the AECC has vowed to continue the strike till acceptance of its demands that had already been accepted by the hospital administration. Providing documentary evidence to The News, AECC members said medical director Dr Aftab Rabbani, principal Ayub Medical College Dr Shahid Sultan and hospital director Major (R) Dr Siddiqur Rehman had given them in writing to fulfill their demands, but to no avail. 

The issue worsened when the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa director general health services on the request of the ATH hospital director transferred 39 employees of ATH to other hospitals of the province for their alleged involvement in illegal activities under Essential Services Act. 

Syed Habib Shah of AECC told this correspondent that on the one hand the government had been claiming provision of autonomy to the ATH but on the other employees were victimised and transferred.

Abid Jadoon, another leader of AECC, said that employees had been harassed by the administration through show-cause notices. He referred to two examples, including a female technician Kanwal Rehman, who was on leave for her examination was removed from service and administration officer Jawad Taj, who had gone to perform Umrah was given show-cause notice and his salary was stopped.