The young doctors, postgraduate trainees and house officers of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) and Karachi Medical and Dental College staged a demonstration outside the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's office on Tuesday, protesting the non-payment of stipends and salaries, overdue increments and non-provision of other allowances.
Gathered on the call of the Young Doctors Associaton (YDA), the protesters shouted slogans and criticised the KMC. The carried placards emblazoned with slogans like 'We want salary', 'Unpaid for nine months' and 'Salary do, salary do' [Pay salary, pay salary].
"We are suffering at the hands of KMC," decried YDA ASH chapter president Dr Yusra on the occasion. "Postgraduate trainees and house officers [at ASH] have not been paid stipends for the last nine months and no increment has been made in the stipends [for long], even after the Sindh government released funds for the purpose," she added.
Another protesting doctor, Dr Farjad complained that doctors at ASH had not been paid Covid-19 health risk allowance so far.
Besides, he said there were no facilities for conducting ultrasounds, computerised tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the emergency ward of ASH, the third largest tertiary care hospital in Karachi.
He said the hospital's doctors had written multiple applications to the medical superintendent and director of ASH, Karachi commissioner and the city's mayor, apprising them of the problems. Confirming that ASH's doctors had held a meeting with Karachi Administrator Iftikhar Shallwani on the matter few days ago, he complained that no measures had been taken so far to address the issues.
"We demand from the KMC to clear the backlog of postgraduate trainees and house officers' stipends, give increments and issue the health risk allowance," the doctor said.
The Sindh government had announced a Covid-19 risk allowance for doctors, nurses and paramedics working in coronavirus wards in June this year. It was revoked earlier this month, but was restored after health workers protested the move.
According to the protesters, their salaries and stipends were withheld for "political reasons." The said they would not resume work until paid stipends and salaries.
Later, they surrounded Karachi administrator Iftikhar Shallwani's car, barring him from entering his office. Yet, the administrator managed to evade them and entered the building.
Following this, KMC officials closed the KMB building's doors.
At this, the protesters blocked MA Jinnah Road, blocking the avenue and causing inconvenience to commuters.
They only dispersed after municipal commissioner Ammar Zaidi negotiated with doctors leading the demonstration. The commissioner assured the doctors that their salaries and stipends would be paid within a week.
The doctors, however, maintain that they would again take to the streets if the promised remained unfulfilled.
With additional input from APP
Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2020.
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