Ayub Teaching Hospital: Doctors protest dissatisfactory salaries, nepotism

The impending strike will result in suspension of health care services in both indoor and outdoor patient departments

ABBOTABAD: The doctors of Ayub Teaching Hospital (ATH) have announced to go on strike from September 1 for an indefinite period. They said the decision was taken over dissatisfactory salary payments and mismanagement and favouritism by the ATH administration.

Addressing a news conference on Tuesday, Provincial Doctors Association (PDA) President Dr Aminullah Afridi said the government  has increased salaries of doctors in remote areas like Kohistan but ATH doctors had yet to reap any benefits.

Aminullah added the government urged doctors to follow the medical teaching institutes act, but has yet to ensure payments, salaries and other benefits in accordance with the act.

Further grievances

With respect to alleged mismanagement by the ATH administration, Aminullah said the doctors, management and other employees responsible for construction of the gynaecology and children wards of ATH were found guilty of misappropriation of funds by the K-P CM’s inspection team. They recommended recovery of millions of rupees from them. However, the ATH administration and ATH Board of Governors chairperson exonerated the individuals.

Aminullah said the acquittal led to loss of a large amount of money and demanded an enquiry into the exoneration exercise. He also urged probing into recovery of expired medicines from the emergency department of the facility. The strike will result in suspension of health care services in both indoor and outdoor patient departments and laboratory and radiology departments.

The staff including all senior and junior doctors will join the protest, Aminullah said. He added only emergency services will be available for patients during the demonstration.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 31^st, 2016.