The Federal Health Alliance (FHA) on Monday staged a protest demonstration against the imposition of the Medical Teaching Institute (MTI) ordinance at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital.
The protesters rejected the promulgation of the MTI ordinance at the PIMS and asked the government to revoke it immediately.
A large number of doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff participated in the protest. The demonstrators said that MTI was not acceptable as it has converted the institution (PIMS) into a corporate entity and deprived the poor of getting free treatment.
Due to the protest, all OPDs of the hospital remained completely closed. The protesting employees surrounded the office of the hospital administration and staged a sit-in there.
The PIMS employees including doctors and nurses announced to continue the protest till the end of MTI ordinance and it administration at the PIMS. They said that all OPDs of the hospital will remain closed on Tuesday.
Addressing the protesting employees, FHA Chairman Chaudhry Qamar Javed Gujjar, Dr Asfandyar and Dr Haider Abbasi said that they will no more tolerate the MTI ordinance and its administrative staff who were getting millions of salaries.
The PIMS employees warned them to close their offices from today, otherwise, they will be forced to close them forcefully.
They said that the protest will continue until a government administrator was appointed at the PIMS and the approved PIMS Amendment Bill 2022 was signed by the president.
Meanwhile, PIMS Director Dr Khalid Masood said that the problems of the patients exacerbate due to the protest of doctors.
He said that the new MTI Act had been passed by both houses of parliament and it was with the president for the signature and the protest of the employees was beyond comprehension.
Three major public sector hospitals of the federal capital have been converted into Medical Teaching Institutes (MTI) after President Arif Alvi earlier approved the ordinance during the PTI governemt’s tenure. Under the MTI ordinance, the PIMS, the Polyclinic and the NIRM have been converted into MTI, which are being run under the Board of Governors (BoGs).
Published in The Express Tribune, November 22nd, 2022.
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