Lady Reading Hospital: Doctors, paramedics clash over hostel occupancy

Medical professionals boycott duties; hostel sealed

PESHAWAR: Eight people were injured on Monday in a clash over hostel occupancy between paramedical staff and doctors from Lady Reading Hospital. As a result, the City police sealed the hostel for all occupants.

The eight injured victims included four paramedics and one doctor. In retaliation, doctors boycotted duties for two hours following the skirmish, causing patients throughout the hospital to suffer.

The clash was instigated when paramedics attempted to forcibly evict doctors from rooms inside the hostel. Talking to The Express Tribune, Paramedical Staff Association K-P General Secretary Rovidad Khan said at least 10 trainee medical officers were occupying rooms in the newly-constructed hostel for paramedics at LRH.

The LRH administration was asked to help vacate the rooms peacefully before the matter escalated. Rovidad blamed the hospital administration for not taking timely action, which he said could have prevented the brawl. “Paramedic staff had been lobbying for the hostel for several years. The government recently allocated Rs600 million for the premises,” added Rovidad.

The new residence was completed only six months ago and LRH was still waiting to formally inaugurate the building in the presence of K-P Minister for Health Shahram Tarakai. When asked to vacate the rooms, the doctors resorted to aggression and reportedly threw stones at paramedics. The doctors and their colleagues then refused to treat the injured paramedics at the hospital.

Height of aggression

The paramedic staff protested against doctors and LRH, throwing stones at the hospital and breaking glass windows. Police officials then used teargas to end the clash, injuring eight individuals.

LRH Director Dr Laiq Zada said the hospital administration tackled this issue several times with paramedics and senior doctors. “Doctors had been allotted rooms in different sections of the hospital building,” said Zada.

Tarakai ordered the health department to form a committee to investigate the matter.

“Patients suffered the most and hospital property has been damaged,” said Tarakai. He said the hostel will remain sealed until the health department gave a final decision. An FIR was registered against all individuals involved in the incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2015.