Chaudahry also assured hospital employees that they would continue to enjoy the status of civil servants and would be entitled to all benefits available to regular civil servants. PHOTO: APP
The employees had shut down outpatient departments at the hospital over delays in the passage of the bill, leaving hundreds of patients to suffer without treatment.
On the second day of the strike, the minister visited the hospital and held lengthy negotiations with the protesters them.
He assured them that prime minister had agreed to separate Pims from SZABMU in the interest of poor patients. While addressing the protesters, Chaudahry said he would make sure that the amendment was cleared by the Standing Committee on Cabinet in its scheduled August 26 meeting.
He also assured the employees that the bill would be tabled in National Assembly in the session starting from September 2.
The minister said that the management of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University and Pims will be separated for efficient management of the affairs of both organisations.
“The university will stay autonomous and the previous status of Pims will be restored under a separate administration. A legislative proposal to this effect is already in the advanced stage and will be presented to the standing committee very soon,” he said.
Chaudahry also assured hospital employees that they would continue to enjoy the status of civil servants and would be entitled to all benefits available to regular civil servants.
He was of the view that two sectors of social service -- health and education -- must be kept above politics. The prime minister takes keen interest in improving service quality in these two sectors and had provided support for Pims from his discretionary fund, he said.
After this, Pims Restoration Movement (PRM) representatives announced they would hold off protests till August 26, when they would insist that the bill be cleared by the standing committee.
PRM Chairman Dr Asfandyar Khan said, “Our struggle is aimed at continuation of free and quality health care services for poor segments of society, which are being gradually shifted from public to private sector with heavy service fees after the conversion of Pims to an autonomous university.”
Poor patients, however, continued to suffer earlier in the day due to the strike. No patient was registered for checkups, but some were examined without registration by sympathetic postgraduate trainees and house officers.
Mohammad Asghar, who had brought his wife to the hospital from Murree to get a broken bone examined, said he had been waiting for his regular doctor since 11am. “My wife fractured her leg and has been visiting Dr Ali for treatment, but due to the strike no one was available yesterday or today. Now I have decided to go to his private clinic.”
Asghar said he did not want to go back without getting her checked because of the additional cost of hiring transport to and from Murree, since she cannot travel by bus. “No one cares for poor patients. Even when there is no strike, they ask poor patients to visit their clinics,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 24th, 2016.
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