KARACHI - Grand Health Alliance (GHA) has given a three-day ultimatum to Sindh Government to accept the demands of healthcare workers; otherwise, a token strike will be observed from Karachi to Kashmore.

If the government still did not meet their demands they would declare a complete strike from June 11, warned Young Doctors Association (YDA) General Secretary Sindh Dr Mehboob Noorani while addressing a press conference at the National Institute of Pediatrics in Karachi.

The press conference was addressed by Dr Mehboob Noonari, Dr Waris Jakhrani, Dr Muhammad Khan Shar, Dr Abdul Razzak Rajper, Atta Hussain Rajper, Syed Shahid Iqbal, Hira Lal Hatesh, Akhlaq Ahmed, Yousuf Khan , Sharif Palari, Ameer Deenari and Ghazi Abro.

The speakers said if Sindh Government failed to respond their demands, the only option left with them was to call strike all over Sindh. They rejected risk allowance only to those doctors who were performing duties in isolation wards and demanded for risk allowance for all healthcare providers.

They demanded for security, Shudha package for health workers, separate isolation wards of health professionals, health professional allowance, establishment of information desks in all hospitals , and regularization of Gavi vaccinators and other contract workers.

They gave a 3-day ultimatum to Sindh Government to accept their genuine demands; otherwise, a token strike would be observed from 08 June 2020, and even if the government failed to respond, a complete strike to be observed from 11 June, 2020.

The YDA leader said that there were no ventilators in hospitals and doctors and health workers were working without protective gear because the government did not provide them with masks and other safety equipment.

They also demanded that safety kits be given to health workers and the government focus on equipping public hospitals first rather than equipping private hospitals to deal with the pandemic. Separately, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Karachi chapter chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman also held a presser along with eminent doctors at party headquarters in Karachi, where he also demanded of the Sindh government to impose health emergency in the province in wake of the situation arising due to the pandemic.

He demanded of the Sindh government to increase the number of beds and ventilators for coronavirus patients in the provincial hospitals along with establishing a central helpline and coronavirus awareness desks at all major hospitals.

While demanding a forensic audit into Rs 1.5 billion expenditure from the Sindh government to deal with the pandemic, he demanded of the government to restrict private hospitals against making a cut in the salaries of doctors.

Hafiz Naeem also demanded of the Sindh government to announce a special bonus for the medics for their services during the pandemic.

He said that the provincial health budget nears around Rs 120 billion but coronavirus wards have not been established at all government hospitals to decrease pressure on health infrastructure.

He warned that if such steps would not be taken then his party would be forced to come out on streets.

PTI holds demo against

issuance of domiciles

The activists of Pakistan Tahreek Insaf (PTI), Larkana City and Taluka, held a protest demonstration here on Thursday against handmade price hike and issuance of bogus domicile certificates to outsiders.

They were holding placards in their hands and shouting slogans in favour of their just demands. They included Samiullah Abro, Abdul Rauf Korai, Sajid Sangi, Aijaz Kanasro, Ismail Abro, Ashique Jatoi and others.

They said while talking to newsmen that after reducing petrol and diesel prices by the federal government, Larkana’s deputy commissioner had taken no notice and shopkeepers continued to charge poor people sky-rocketing rates which had broken the back of poverty-ridden masses.

They said people were already worried about the outbreak of coronavirus local transmission cases on the one hand and on the other, DC had taken no measures against wholesalers and retailers in the district to bring the prices of essential commodities down which they termed highhandedness.

They also condemned issuance of domiciles certificates to outsiders which had rendered the locals of their right to jobs. They demanded of the district and divisional administrations to take stern action against the hoarders and profiteers mafia and ensure reduction of prices of all daily use items so that people could also be able to take sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, eggs were in short supply in the entire Larkana district due to which one dozen were being sold openly and daringly at Rs 120 in this extremely hot weather which surprised almost all residents but there was nobody from the government side to check the retailers and wholesalers.