KARACHI - The protesting doctors Wednesday resumed their duties as government promised to fullfill their all demands including upgrading pay scales and security allowances.
Talking to The Nation, Doctor Action Committee Vice President Dr Waris Ali Jakhrani confirmed that after successful negotiations with government, they immediately started their work in all government hospitals across the province.
“Yes! They accept our demands. The OPDs is functional,” commented YDA Vice-President Dr Waris Ali Jakhrani.
Dr Jakhrani further said: Our demands include increase in salaries, allowances and health insurance of doctors working in the province, protection of doctors at workplace, promotion of doctors as per service structure and corruption in Sindh health department. The demands have been accepted by Sindh Health Department.”
According to source, the junior doctors and Sindh government have made three round ups in which the Sindh government insisted doctors to call off their strike due to insufficient health budget of the provincial government; however the doctors had refused and continued their strike.
The strikes in government hospitals made thousands of people suffered, the patients had to be returned back home without treatment, the junior doctors also accepted that due to doctor’s strike thousands of the patients faced inconvenience
“Now the ordeal has ended,” commented, Abdul Wali, from Orangi town area, adding tahat “I have been coming at civil hospital frequently since last three day, but all was refused.” He further said that ninety percent population in the city could not bear the expense of private clinics, so that the smooth functioning of public sector hospitals is necessary.
“Not only in Karachi but in rural parts of the province are facing much hardship in term of inflation and joblessness and if doctors continued their strike, the common people would suffer more,” he concluded.
On Tuesday, two patients died allegedly due to unavailability of treatment at the hospitals in Naushehro Feroze.
Importantly, doctors have given a call of sit-in on January 31, outside the chief minister house in Sindh, if their demands were not met.
