Children Hospital employees boycott duties for two hours

KARACHI- On October 5^th the staff of Sindh Government Children Hospital (SGCH), North Karachi staged a protest demonstration and boycotted OPDs for two hours, demanding release of funds for their salaries.

 

 

More than 350 employees including doctors, paramedical staff, nurses and other administrative officials working under Poverty Eradication Initiative (PEI), a non-governmental organization at Children Hospital North Karachi were not paid their monthly salaries for the last two months. Reason being that Sindh Health Department had not released budget for this health facility.

 

 

The protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans like ‘save child save life’, ‘we want justice’, ‘release funds’, and ‘doctors & medical staff are humans’ among others. The protesting doctors and support staff said that the staff of Sindh’s second largest children hospital has been facing financial crises since the last two months as they were deprived of their salaries, and were unable to feed their dependents, pay for the education of their children and pay house rents. The children of employees were facing expulsion from educational institutes.

 

 

Talking to media, the Chief Executive Officer, Poverty Eradication Initiative (PEI), SGCH, Dr Fatima, said “Doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and administrative officials have not been paid salaries since two month due to shortage of funds.  She said Sindh government has not released funds for health facility since several month, which disables administration to run affairs of the hospital.”

 

 

She informed that stock of medicines and other general items has almost ended in the hospital, and catering 2,500 patients in OPDs and emergency on a daily basis is not an easy task for management in these circumstances.

 

The protesters demanded the concerned authorities of Sindh government to release funds for the hospital on urgent basis to enable the smooth running of affairs at children hospital.

 

The protesters ended their protest demonstration and boycott of duties after two hour boycott.

 

The protest demonstration and boycotts of staff adversely affected the patient care at Sindh Government Child Hospital. A large number of patients who had come from Karachi and other parts of Sindh province faced hardships due to protest of staff.