Doctors, paramedics boycott OPDs
Doctors, nurses and paramedical staff in various government hospitals across Karachi, rejecting and criticising the finance department's decision of discontinuing their health risk allowance, boycotted the OPDs.
According to the details, doctors, post-graduates, house officers, nurses and medical staff associated with various departments in most hospitals of the city including Jinnah Hospital, Civil Hospital, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, protested against the termination of the risk allowance.
The protesters said, that the allowance is not meant only for the services they rendered during Corona pandemic, they treat patients suffering from HIV and other infectious diseases, so their lives are at risk 24 hours.
They said that the health risk allowance of Rs17,000 was being given to the staff in grade 1 to 16 and Rs35,000 to those who are in grade 17-20. More than 100,000 medical staff across Sindh is affected by the non-provision of allowance.
"Due to the flood in Sindh, our families were also affected, but our wages are not paid, under this situation the Sindh Health Department is forcing us to protest," they added.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 18th, 2022.