KARACHI/DADU - Protesting doctors, paramedical staff and nurses continued the boycott of OPDs and general wards on Saturday, on 6th consecutive day across the Sindh province.
The OPDs patients have suffered a lot due to week-long protest demonstrations of healthcare professionals in Sindh. Thousands of patients seeking consultation had to return home with sheer disappointment as doctors, paramedical staff and nurses continued the boycott of OPDs and general wards.
The healthcare workers under the platform of Grand Health Alliance (GHA) continued protest at Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, National Institute of Child Health, Sindh Government Lyari General Hospital, Sindh Government Hospital Liaquatabad, Sindh Government Hospital Qatar Hospital and others districts hospitals of the city.
Information Secretary, Pakistan Peoples Paramedical Staff Welfare Association Sindh, Liaquat Ali Mastoi while addressing the protestors at Civil Hospital Karachi said, around four dozens healthcare professionals had lost their lives on the line of duty in Pakistan and score of others had also contracted the coronaviurs so far. He said the federal government, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan governments had announced special packages for their health care professionals including high risk allowance but the Sindh Government had not approved any allowance yet.
He demanded for risk allowance, provision of PPEs, security insurance, Shuhada(martyrs) package for health workers, isolation wards for health professionals, health professional allowance, establishment of information desks in all hospitals and regularization of Gavi vaccinators.
MEDICS CONTINUE PROTEST AGAINST INJUSTICES
On the call of Grand Health Alliance (GHA), doctors, nurses and paramedical staff working in all four Blocks of Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) continued their boycott of OPD duties for two hours, staged sit-in and held a protest demonstration outside Central Laboratory on Saturday to press the rulers to accept their justified demands.
Paramedical Staff Association CMCH President, Zamir Sangi, General Secretary Munwar Mangi and other leaders said while addressing the participants that frontline fighters were being provided required facilities across the globe in fight against coronavirus but Sindh was the only province where they were being treated like orphans. They said so far 60 doctors, nurses and paramedical staff members had been infected by the deadly virus, but the Sindh government had neither taken any notice nor had announced health risk and professional health allowances for the health warriors which was unjustice.
DOCTORS, PARAMEDICS PROTEST AGAINST LACK OF PROTECTIVE GEARS
Doctors and the paramedics observed a three-hour strike here at Civil Hospital and other government hospitals on Saturday to press the government for acceptance of their demands.
As per reports, more than twenty doctors and the paramedical staff gathered at the premises of Civil Hospital, and raised slogans in support of their demands.
Talking to the media, they told that they had submitted their 13-point agenda of demands to the Sindh government, but the latter did not approve them as yet as a result of which they were facing great hardships.
They said they had been deprived of safety kits, gloves, surgical masks and other goods while working on the frontline against the COVID-19. They urged the authorities to take notice of their plight and ensure approval of their demands.
Meanwhile, two local leaders of PTI Sardar Ashique and Rais Rajib Shahani handed over 500 safety kits to the Civil Surgeon Abdul Hameed Meerani posted at Civil Hospital.
