Police baton-charge protesting nurses in Karachi

Dozens were taken into custody as they approached the CM House breaking police barriers

KARACHI: The police baton-charged protesting nurses as they tried to march towards the Chief Minister House on Thursday. Dozens of nurses were taken into custody while many also lost consciousness due to the extremely hot weather.

On the fourth day of its protest outside the Karachi Press Club, the Sindh Young Nurses Association (SYNA) started marching towards the CM House, breaking the police barriers and shouting slogans about continuing the protest until their demands were fulfilled. The demands included the promotion of nursing staff to the next grades, compliance with service structure and provision of professional health and teaching allowances.



The nurses have also boycotted the emergencies, intensive care units (ICUs) and other departments in hospitals across Sindh, as a result of which patients suffer inconveniences.

On the other hand, the representatives of SYNA, including Aijaz Kaleri, Ghulam Dastageer, Atta Hussain Rajper, Heera Lal, Sahar Hassan, met the Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani in the office of Karachi commissioner but the efforts to negotiate went unsuccessful. They said that Ghani told them that the government didn't have the budget as the federal government is not releasing its funds.

Up to 20 protesting nurses were arrested, including four officials of SYNA and other women nurses, as they tried to cross the barriers. The nurses carried out the sit-in at the Aiwan-e-Sadar Road and reached the PIDC Roundabout near CM House and continued the protest there.

The protesters demanded the release of the arrested nurses and the notification for the fulfilment of their demands be issued immediately or else they would continue the protest and boycott. They said that nurses do not get promotions and they retire at the same post that they started on 25 years ago. They had no other option but to come out on streets to put forward their demands as otherwise no department would take any action.



According to SYNA authorities, the number of doctors in Sindh was 18,000 while the nurses were only 2,300. An announcement for the appointment of 1,000 more nurses was made but nothing has been done yet in this regard.

The nurses association leaders said that they will not end the protest until the notification is issued while the boycott in all hospitals from Karachi to Kashmore will also continue.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2019.