Doctors give KMC three-day ultimatum to release their dues

Protesting doctors at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital on Friday gave the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) a three-day ultimatum to release their dues or face a sit-in outside its building.

The doctors have been protesting against non-payment of salaries to house officers and postgraduate trainees since Friday. On the second day of their protest, dozens of house officers and postgraduates boycotted OPDs.

According to the doctors, postgraduates had not been paid for the past month, while house officers had gone without salaries for three months.

Young Doctors Association (YDA) Sindh Chairman Dr Mehboob Noonari said newly appointed house officers at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital face delays of up to six months every year in receiving their salaries. He added that KMC doctors were paid less compared to those serving under the Sindh government.

Dr Noorani said that although postgraduate salaries were released a day earlier, the recent pay raise had not been included. Issuing a three-day deadline, Dr Noonari warned that the doctors would stage a sit-in outside the KMC building if the matter was not resolved.

YDA Abbasi Shaheed Hospital President Dr Shehryar pointed out that approval had already been granted for salaries on par with Sindh government doctors but payments were still pending. “What is the reason for this delay?” he asked.

Meanwhile, Medical Superintendent Abbasi Shaheed Hospital Dr Javed Iqbal said postgraduate salaries had been delayed due to recent holidays, while the process of documentation for new house officers usually took one to two months. He assured that the salaries of house officers would be released within eight days.

The protesting doctors said OPDs would remain functional during the three-day ultimatum, after which further action would be decided.