OPDs still closed after negotiations with Sindh Health Dept fail

GHA claims health department has offered no resolution for healthcare workers’ issues

KARACHI: Following unsuccessful negotiations with the Sindh Health Department, the Grand Health Alliance (GHA) has announced that it will continue its boycott of outpatient departments (OPDs) at government hospitals across the province until its demands are formally approved.

The GHA protest reached its eighth day on Monday, with alliance representatives stating that despite their constant demonstrations, the Sindh Health Department had not contacted the healthcare workers to offer any resolution to their problems.

Earlier, Sindh health secretary Dr Kazim Jatoi had met GHA leaders for negotiations. However, the GHA delegation claimed he only offered them an assurance that their demands would be approved instead of a formal agreement. They added that they would not rely upon any surety or 'false promises' from the government, announcing that their protest would continue outside the Karachi Press Club.

Reiterating its earlier statement, the GHA claimed that the responsibility for any inconvenience caused to the public during the prolonged closure of OPDs rested on the shoulders of the Sindh government.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2020.