The young doctors at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Monday blocked the road adjacent to the main gate of the hospital as they continue to press for pay raise, regularisation and service structure for their fellow servicepersons.
The commuters in the area now got to realise the seriousness of their issue, as we had to wait in queues until the doctors were back inside the hospital,” said Ali, who was travelling on the road which had been blocked.
On the 27th day of the so-called second phase of their struggle, which has seen plenty of strikes and protests, the Young Doctor Association (YDA) came out on the road and blocked it for an hour from 11:30am to 12:30pm. As a result the roads of the vicinity saw a huge traffic jam.
The protestors burnt tyres and chanted slogans against the hospital administration. They said the delay in the fulfillment of their demands reflected the seriousness of the government with regards to their issues. Later they staged sit-in in front of the administration department.
They said the protest and strikes will continue until they will get the final notification from the government. “We do not feel good about withdrawing services from all the OPDs and creating problems for the patients but we are helpless as no one is there to listen to our woes,” said Dr Sajid Abbasi, president YDA Pims.
Meanwhile, the services at all the outpatient departments (OPDs) remained suspended and the scheduled surgeries were also not conducted, as the patients continue to bear the brunt of the “doctors’ misdirected wrath”.
“Why are they punishing everyone else for the government’s so-called apathy for their issues,” said Imtiaz, an attendant at the hospital.
Prof Mehmood Jamal Executive Director of Pims said all out efforts are being made to fulfill their demands, the procedure requires time.
He denied that all the services at the OPDs are suspended and said the administration is trying to ensure health services to all the patients.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 16th, 2011.
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