Strike was announced a day earlier after the family of a deceased patient allegedly assaulted doctors and nursing staff. PHOTO: EXPRESS
PESHAWAR:
Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) fired 16 of its employees on Tuesday, saying they violated the Essential Services Act (ESA), 1958. According to officials, employees were sacked as they participated and provoked others to go on strike at the facility even though ESA was invoked on Monday.
“We will take action [against the protesters] in accordance with the law, which includes terminating health employees for violating Essential Services Act 1958,” LRH Medical Director Colonel (retd) Dr Hamid Saeedul Haq told The Express Tribune minutes before the decision was taken.
The LRH administration also refuted rumours of the death of four patients at the Coronary Care Unit by terming it baseless.
Health first
Patients continued to receive medical assistance despite a strike announced on Tuesday. Patients were being examined in two different out-patient departments (OPD) – one at the official OPD building at LRH and one in a makeshift camp opposite the OPD building.
“I was confused where to go as I saw separate arrangements when I entered the hospital,” 60-year-old Said Rehman, a resident of Bagh Miankhel, told The Express Tribune.
Rehman said he was diabetic and a heart patient. He laughed at the situation, saying, “It looked like the facilities had doubled so maybe the strike should continue.”
Around 60% patients were treated at the OPD arranged by the agitating health employees whereas around 40% were treated at the official building. However, the situation changed after 12pm when a majority of the agitating doctors left and only protesting nurses could be seen inside the camps.
“The doctors just left but the nurses are still here,” Farrukh Jalil, president of Nursing Association, told The Express Tribune. Jalil said he was transferred to Kohat for violating the ESA last Wednesday.
A statement issued by Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) read the administration supervised all activities from 8am to 2pm since officials were present at OPDs, facilitating support services to doctors there.
Hayatabad Medical Complex in a statement issued on Tuesday, lauded its employees for rejecting the strike call in the “best interest of patients”.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 10th, 2016.
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