The Ministry of Health was on Monday again reminded about the “increasing protest” by young doctors of Polyclinic, joined by the senior faculty and nurses and leading to breakdown of outdoor patient department daily, Dawn has learnt.
Requesting anonymity, a senior official of the health ministry said Dr Shaukat Kiyani, executive director of Polyclinic, has sent another letter to the ministry, drawing its attention towards the strike called by the Young Doctors Association (YDA), saying it had crippled the routine work at the hospital.
The ministry kept mum over the first letter by Dr Kiyani, detailing the young doctors` concerns, with the request of resolving them `amicably`.
“The hospital has been facing an increasing protest from doctors, which is leading to a breakdown of OPDs for more than an hour on daily basis,” the official quoted excerpts from Dr Kiyani`s letter. “The senior faculty has also joined the token strike of YDA,” the letter addressed to the joint secretary of the health ministry said.
The doctors demanding increase in salaries and a better service structure are observing one-hour strike since March 14. A couple of days back, Polyclinic nurses also joined the doctors` token strike.
The letter requested the ministry to give a `patient hearing` to the young doctors and resolve the issue at the earliest. Dr Kiyani feared that if the ministry failed to take the young doctors` demands seriously, the time of token strike may be extended, further disturbing the “health services at the hospital”.
On Monday, young doctors of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) also observed one-hour strike and backed the demands of their Polyclinic colleagues.
On strike for a week, the YDA Islamabad is demanding induction of doctors in BPS-18, pay increase from Rs22,000 to Rs70,000 and regularising doctors working on contract for the last several years. Pims doctors chanted slogans against the health ministry and the hospital`s administration and closed down the OPD for one hour.
Dr Mohammad Ajmal, president of the YDA Islamabad, told Dawn: “We have extended the strike to two hours as the bureaucracy in the ministry health is least concerned about our genuine demands.” He said the paramedical staff and nurses have also joined the strike.
“Within three days we will completely close down the OPDs if the ministry failed to address our concerns,” warned Dr Ajmal. He added that a council comprising the association`s Punjab and Islamabad chapters has been formed.
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