KARACHI:Patients of government hospitals continued to suffer in Karachi and other cities of Sindh province on the second consecutive day on Tuesday due to the strike of Doctors Joint Action Committee.
OPD patients faced grave hardship and inconvenience as complete strike was observed by doctors across the Sindh province including in cities of Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Shikarpur, Mirpurkhas, Dadu, Badin, Ghotki, Nawabshah, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Thatta, Tando Allahyar, Sanghar and Jamshoro.
The strike was jointly observed by Young Doctors Association (YDA) Sindh, Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Sindh and Functional Doctors Forum.
The OPD services at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, National Institute of Child Health, Sindh Government Lyari General Hospital, Sindh Government Hospital Korangi, Sindh Government Qatar Hospital, Sindh Government New Karachi and other health facilities remained closed.
Chairman, Young Doctors Association, Sindh Dr Umer Sultan, while talking to PPI, informed that a delegation of JAC led by Pir Manzoor, Dr Yasin Umrani, Dr Waris and others held a meeting with Additional Chief Secretary Health Dr Saeed Awan.
The doctors presented their demands including increase in strength of doctor (PGs, House Officers and others), and giving them salary package on the pattern of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He further informed that doctors are receiving Rs50,000 and Rs60,000 per month health professional allowances in Punjab and KPK, respectively, while Sindh government is giving them Rs15,000. He said YDA Sindh demands of the provincial government to raise the Postgraduate (PGs) doctors salaries to Rs90000 from Rs65000 and house officers’ stipend from Rs30,000 to Rs50,000 on urgent basis.
The Additional Chief Secretary Health Dr Saeed Awan assured the delegation that all genuine demands of doctors would be accepted after approval from Provincial Health Minister Sindh.
Dr Omer Sultan said strike and boycott of OPDs will continue till the acceptance of their demands and warned that if their demands were not met, they would be compelled to boycott health services at wards and later in emergency departments.
Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) Karachi has also supported the ongoing strike of young doctors and demanded for increase of salaries and review service structure of Sindh doctors as per Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Secretary Information, PIMA, Karachi Dr Kashif Farooqi said the PIMA is against boycott of duties and strikes in public hospitals but Sindh government’s attitude has compelled doctors to observe strike throughout the Sindh province .