Stand-off: Doctors go on strike, boycott OPDs, surgeries

Provincial Doctors Association says protest politically motivated.

PESHAWAR:

After consecutive strikes in three major hospitals in the city, the Health Employees’ Coordination Council (HECC) held a demonstration in front of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly to compel the government to meet their demands.

According to HECC President Professor Dr Musa Kalim, the province has an annual health budget similar to Punjab’s but there is great disparity in how both provinces are treated.

The HECC, comprising doctors, paramedics and nurses, started its demonstration at the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) before proceeding to the provincial assembly on Tuesday morning.

The protest, which was dispersed by nearly 2pm, blocked the Khyber Road for several hours. Roads leading to the assembly were barricaded and traffic was diverted, creating heavy congestion in the city.

Health employees also boycotted outdoor-patient departments and operation theatre services at the LRH.

There were reports of clashes between the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) and Hayatabad Medical Complex administrations and employees as the latter forcefully tried to shut down hospital services.

The district administration tried their utmost to bring the demonstration to an end, however, the HECC members refused to budge unless the chief minister met them.

Ultimately, Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Javed Marwat persuaded an HECC delegation, led by Dr Kalim, to hold a meeting with K-P Chief Minister (CM) Amir Haider Khan Hoti and end the strike and protest.

Instead, the delegation ended up meeting Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain. He then constituted a committee to look into the health workers’ issues. The committee will comprise Health Secretary Muhammad Ishfaq, Special Secretary Dr Akbar Khan, Dr Musa Kalim and the information minister.

“We have told the information minister to resolve all our problems by coming Friday otherwise we will restart protests and all the hospitals in the province will be closed,” said Dr Kalim.

He told the media a “proper service structure” should be implemented in K-P’s health sector wherein employees progress to higher grades and asked the health professionals’ allowance be increased.

He also demanded the controversial matter of paramedics’ building be resolved – it had been converted to the Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical College against the HECC’s wishes. One of the HECC’s demands was free treatment for patients in all K-P hospitals.

A statement by the KTH read: “All locks put by the personnel on strike were broken; OPDs were functional throughout the day. Similarly, operation theatres were fully functional. X-ray, laboratory, CT scan and MRI facilities, and other auxiliary branches remained functional.”

The Provincial Doctors Association (PDA) distanced itself from the strike and termed it ‘politically motivated’. According to PDA Chairman Dr Shah Sawar the government has already constituted a committee to solve doctors’ problems.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2013.