Nurses, paramedics boycott duties across Sindh, as doctors join them for an hour

The strike affected hospitals in Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana, Sukkur, Nawabshah, Thatta.

KARACHI: Government-run hospitals across the province faced problems as nurses and junior paramedic staff boycotted work on Monday. They were joined by doctors, who stopped working in their OPDs for one hour.

A member of the administration of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) told The Express Tribune that a lack of nurses affected patient care in all wards. Only the emergency ward and the emergency operation theatre were functioning properly. Doctors were told at a meeting, which was also attended by nursing superintendents, to take charge of their departments until the supporting staff’s strike ends. “The nursing staff did not inform us about their plans,” said the official.  The medical superintendent of Civil Hospital, Karachi, Prof. Saeed Quraishy, said that nurses and paramedics were present throughout the day but the strike by doctors at the OPD, from 1 pm to 2 pm, made some patients suffer.

JPMC and Civil hospitals accommodate nearly 3,000 to 5,000 patients in their OPDs every day.

The strike also affected work at the National Institute of Child Health, Services hospital and Lyari hospital.

“But it was not significant, as the number of patients start dropping by that time,” explained Dr Shakeel Aamir Mullick of CHK.

The president of the Awami Doctors Ittehad (ADI), Dr Mohammad Thalho, said that doctors also stayed away from work for one hour in Hyderabad, Shikarpur, Larkana, Sukkur, Thatta, Dadu, Nawabshah and Naushero Feroz.

Aijaz Ali Kaleri, the president of the Pakistan Nurses Association in Karachi, added that the strike was also observed in Larkana, Sukkur, Khairpur Mirs, Nawabshah, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad and Thatta. Nurses and paramedics had boycotted their duties from 8 am to 2 pm.

Demands of protesters

Doctors working at government-run hospitals have been protesting since February 7 for time-scale promotions, as ordered by the Sindh High Court, as well as a service structure. They have also been asking for the jobs of doctors, who are working under the People’s Primary Health Initiative, to be made permanent. Nearly 15,000 doctors are affected by the provincial government’s inaction, while the Sindh health department is in need of funds totaling Rs2.7 billion.

Nearly 5,000 nurses in the process have been campaigning for a Rs10,000 allowance for food and clothes, time-scale promotions, increased stipend for nursing school students, as well as professional health allowance and high risk and hard workers allowance. Kaleri said that, if met, then these demands will translate into an increase of Rs20,000 to Rs25,000 in the salary of a BS-16 nurse.

The junior paramedic staff work in grades BS-1 to BS-4, and include laboratory, MRI, ECG and CT scan technicians, lady health visitors, naib qasids, sanitary inspectors, gardeners, store keepers, dispensers, security guards, ward masters, and nursing attendants. Ameer Hussain, president of the paramedical staff at JPMC, said that they are also calling for a proper service structure to be established.

Government’s response

ADI’s Dr Thalho told The Express Tribune that the government has approved all but one of their demands: about making timely promotions.

While visiting the protesting nurses and paramedics, Sindh Health Secretary Syed Hashim Raza Zaidi said that it was not in the government’s capacity to accept all of their demands. “We are negotiating with the workers and will try to accept their demands, but they also need to cooperate with us.”

Protesters’ plans

Doctors say that they will start increasing their boycott of duties by an hour every day, after three days. Leaders of the nursing and paramedic staff organisations said that they will stage a sit-in in front of the Chief Minister House on March 28.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2012.