Civil Hospital Docs Call Strike for Promotions

KARACHI - The doctors at Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) observed a token hunger strike and also staged a rally from OPD to Administration Block against delay in promotions of doctors by Sindh government.

The doctors, led by Doctors Action Committee President, Dr Nawaz Mallah and others took out the rally from OPD Block that culminated at Administration Block. The protesting doctors said score of doctors throughout the Sindh province had been deprived of promotions despite apex court’s order.

They said the Sindh government was using different tactics to deprive doctors of promotions. The doctors from grade-17 to grade-20 have been deprived of departmental promotions across the province despite the court order.  The doctors under the banner of Doctors Action Committee observed token hunger strike around 09:00am and continued till 11:00 am. The protest demonstration of doctors has badly affected patient care in Sindh’s largest teaching hospital while the OPD services almost remained disturbed due to the doctors’ strike.

President, Doctor Action Committee, Dr Nawaz Mallah, while talking to media men, alleged that a group of doctors, led by Oncologist Dr Noor Muhammad Soomro and Deputy Medical Superintendent (DMS-Night Shift), tried to stop him at OPD Block gate early in the morning but law enforcement agencies controlled the situation.

He said two-hour token hunger strike would be continued till the promotions of doctors. He appealed to the Sindh government to implement apex court’s order by promoting the doctors in higher grades. He said hundreds of doctors had been deprived of promotions since long in Sindh province.

Meanwhile, ex-secretary general, Pakistan Medical Association, Centre, Dr Mirza Ali Azhar, said that Dr Nawaz Mallah is neither a representative of PMA nor even a member of the organization. PMA does not support any protest due to which medical services are suspended, common men suffer and poor people die because of non-availability of medical care. At the same time, PMA supported all genuine demands of doctors and demanded of the government to negotiate with the doctors to solve the problems in a civilized and amicable way.