Non-payment of salaries: Doctors' protest for 20th consecutive day outside Abbasi Shaheed Hospital

Lacking basic medical facilities, the KMC hospital is in a dismal condition

KARACHI: One of the biggest Karachi Metropolitan Corporation-run health facilities, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, remained non-functional on Monday for the 20th consecutive day due to the absence of paramedical staff, who have resorted to protests due to the non-payment of their salaries for the past two months.

The outpatient department at the hospital stopped functioning Monday morning, adding to the misery of the patients. The patients, who remain unattended by the protesting doctors, told Express News that the hospital had scarce medical facilities, and now, not a single syringe is being provided by the administration.

One of the patients said that she has follow-up appointments with doctors and the absence of staff has left her to wander about helplessly. She said she would have to go to another hospital now and get her tests done again.

Shouting slogans of protest, the demonstrators also recorded their protest outside Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Muhammad Anwar's office. Dr Anwar assured he has dispatched the summary to the finance department and is in contact with the deputy mayor and keeping him informed about the situation at the hospital.

The protesting house officers and final year students said that the hospital administration has not released their salaries for the past five months, leaving no choice for them but to protest.

They said that doctors are also human beings and have expenses to meet, adding that the protest will be expanded if their demands are not met soon.

In shambles

With a shortage of beds in the emergency ward, no air-conditioning system in the intensive care unit (ICU), a lack of functional x-ray and MRI machines, lack of maintenance and upkeep of other non-functional machines, the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital is in bad shape.



Patients are facing a shortage of medicines, unhygienic conditions and lack of basic medical facilities that raise several questions over the government's efficiency.

According to the hospital's spokesperson, all the machines in the hospital have been moved to one room which is why the machines are deteriorating further and are not available for the patients.

Due to the unavailability of x-ray and other machines, patients are left with no choice but to get many of their tests done from other hospitals at an expensive rate. The families of many patients use their hands as a fan to cool off patients in the ICU while many other families resort to getting a fan from home since the ward does not have an AC.

Ironically, the hospital fails to even provide the proper facilities of first-aid kits when needed.



Unfortunately, a shortage of beds in the emergency ward of the city's biggest government-run hospital leads to many patients being treated on the floor.