Unhappy doctors: JPMC postgraduates, house officers boycott OPDs

They claim the strike will continue till their demands are met

KARACHI: Postgraduates and house officers serving at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) went on a strike on Friday, boycotting duties at the hospital's out-patients departments (OPD).

Around 250 to 300 house officers and postgraduates protested against non-payment of salaries for the past six months. They also demanded that the pay scale of all postgraduate trainees and house officers be standardised in accordance with other provinces from Rs42,000 to Rs60,000 for postgraduate trainees and from Rs24,000 to Rs30,000 for house officers.

The protesters also wanted the reinstatement of the 350 previously abolished seats for house officers of the Jinnah Sindh Medical University, the increase of the budget and the clearing of dues till December.

All postgraduates should be paid, their seats should be increased and new seats for postgraduates training should not be allotted until and unless the previously selected candidates for training are paid their due rights, claimed the protesters.

The Young Doctors Association (YDA) house officers incharge, Dr Khalil Khatri, said, "The patients coming into the emergency ward will be treated, as we have only called a strike in the OPDs so that the patients would not suffer." He added that between 1,000 to 1,200 doctors have suffered for the past few months due to the JPMC administration's "wrong policies".

According to him, 10 days ago a number of YDA doctors met the JPMC director, Dr Anees Bhatti, who gave assurances that the pending salaries would be released within a week but despite the passage of 10 days nothing has been done.

"The boycott in all the wards of the JPMC will be carried till all our demands are met," Khatri told The Express Tribune.

JPMC deputy director Javed Jamali said that they have informed the health minister and secretary about the ongoing strike, to which the secretary has directed them to cancel their training, terming the strike intolerable for the government. The provincial health minister was not available for comments.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2016.