10th day of strike: Paramedics refuse to work under ‘medieval Mughal king’

Police raid camp, arrest eight union members.

SUKKUR:

The boycott of the paramedical staff of Chandka Medical College Hospital, Larkana, entered its tenth day on Saturday and the workers still refuse to work under the medical superintendent.

As they refused to carry out their duties in the out-patient and other departments, the paramedics insisted that the medical superintendent, Zulfiqar Siyal, misbehaves with them.

Additional health secretary Khalid Shaikh arrived in Larkana on Friday and wanted to negotiate with the protesters but they refused, sources said. The workers are adamant they want Siyal removed from his post.

According to officials, a large number of policemen from Civil Lines Police Station raided the paramedics’ camp and arrested eight men. The union workers were kept in the lock-up for a couple of hours but were released after the DCO and the DPO intervened.

Paramedical Staff Union, CMC Unit, president Shahi Khan Jagirani told The Express Tribune that the workers were increasingly bothered by the negative and humiliating attitude of the superintendent. “Even though he [Siyal] is a doctor by profession, he poses himself to be a medieval Mughal king,” he said.

Giving examples, he said that some of the paramedics were fired without any reason and several of them have been suspended with their salaries frozen. Jagirani clarified that the workers have not boycotted the OPD completely. All emergency services are being provided in the cardiology, gynaecology and emergency wards, he added.

For his part, Siyal said that the workers are rallying against him because he caught one of them stealing. Eight months ago, Siyal caught the union official, Zulfiqar Sahito, red-handed as he was stealing medicines. A case was filed at Rehmatpur Police Station and he was given bail by the civil court but the hospital suspended him.

Siyal claimed that the paramedics are now demanding that the administration withdraw his termination order. He said that even Jagirani, the union president, is facing charges of misbehaving with a female doctor.

After the new elections of the paramedics union around three months ago, the workers have been demanding the administration exempt the elected officials from their duties but Siyal said that he refused. The workers also demanded the hospital empower them to offer promotions and grant leaves to the lower staff.

Since their demands were unjust, Siyal claimed that he refused to accept them. He added, however, that he has allowed all unit incharges to grant cases of casual leaves on their own and that he had withdrawn all show-cause notices that were issued recently.

As the tussle continues, the patients are suffering the most. Those who can afford it have moved their family members to private hospitals. More than four people have so far died due to the paramedics’ strike but the administration failed to confirm this.



Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2011.