Abbasi Shaheed house officers at breaking point

House officers at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital intensified their protest on Saturday over unpaid stipends and inadequate security, warning that they would suspend outpatient department (OPD) services if the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) failed to address their demands.

Carrying placards and banners, the protesting doctors raised slogans in support of their demands while maintaining that they had continued to provide medical services throughout the six-day protest to ensure that patients did not suffer.

The house officers said they had been protesting for the past six days over what they described as their legitimate demands. They said that despite the ongoing demonstration, they had continued to perform their medical duties in the interest of patient care.

The doctors said that following accidents or fatalities, large numbers of attendants often enter the hospital, putting pressure on doctors and attempting to force treatment. They added that incidents of harassment and misconduct against doctors occur regularly, yet adequate security arrangements have still not been provided.

The protesters questioned why Abbasi Shaheed Hospital was the only public hospital where house officers were not being paid their full stipend, unlike their counterparts at other hospitals. They said salaries had not been paid for the past three months, while the agreed monthly stipend of Rs45,000 also remained unpaid.

The house officers also highlighted a severe shortage of medicines at the hospital, saying the lack of essential drugs was creating difficulties in providing treatment and causing hardship for patients.

Warning of an escalation in their protest, the doctors said they would shut down OPD services if their demands were not accepted immediately and would expand the scope of their protest.