‘Address demands or hand ASH over to Sindh govt’

Hospital’s staff boycotted their duties for two hours in protest on Wednesday

KARACHI: The paramedical staff at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) has asked Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar to address their demands or hand over the hospital's management to the Sindh health department.

The staff, including nurses and clerks, boycotted their duties for two hours in protest on Wednesday. They demanded an increment in their salaries up to 15 per cent, provision of health allowance of 20 per cent, enforcement of service structure, and the ending of unnecessary deductions from their monthly income.

The protesters maintained that the provincial government had announced an increase of 15 per cent in the salaries during the financial year of 2018-2019, but they did not receive it.

"We are not being heard," said an employee, Mina Zaidi, adding that while they had genuine grievances, the mayor claimed he did not have the requisite funds.

Zaidi stated that the ASH staff had also approached the Sindh local government minister and secretary, who told them that the provincial government had sanctioned Rs900 million for this purpose. "If the mayor cannot handle the hospital's affairs, he should hand over its management to the Sindh government," she added.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2020.