Patients suffer as doctors, paramedics go on strike in allied hospitals of Pindi

Rawalpindi: Thousands of patients particularly those visiting outpatients departments at the three allied hospitals in town had to suffer badly as the doctors, paramedics and nurses all went on strike on Thursday to lodge their protest against the government’s plan of implementing Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act in public sector hospitals of the Punjab province.The Young Doctors Association in Punjab has earlier announced a protest demonstration against implementation of MTI Act but later senior doctors, paramedics and nurses joined the YDA forming a grand alliance to check government from its plan.The OPDs at the three allied hospitals in town including Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Holy Family Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital did not operate properly on Thursday as majority of doctors and other staff was not available for treatment of poor patients. The three teaching hospitals receive well over 5500 patients at their OPDs daily on average.Though the OPDs were not operating due to strike, the patients admitted in wards had to suffer as well because of strike by paramedics and nurses. Even the laboratory staff at the teaching hospitals did not provide reports to a number of patients undergoing treatment in wards.The laboratory staff did not provide me lab test reports of my brother undergoing treatment at Coronary Care Unit of the hospital, said Qadeer, aged 45 whose brother is in critical condition at the DHQ Hospital.Majority of doctors including postgraduate trainees from almost all departments of the hospital have been on strike at the OPDs though the hospital is working with few doctors employed at the hospital, said Additional Medical Superintendent at DHQ Hospital Dr. Irfan Khilji while talking to ‘The News’ on Thursday.He said doctors along with paramedics and nurses all across the province are staging protest against the plan of implementation of MTI Act and the same is the situation at the allied hospitals. The paramedics and nurses did not work at their duty stations properly on Thursday, he said.Vice Chancellor at Rawalpindi Medical University and Chief Allied Hospitals Professor Dr. Muhammad Umar when contacted by ‘The News’ on Thursday said the working at the OPDs has been interrupted by the doctors, nurses and paramedics though the indoor patients did not suffer due to the strike.It is important that under the MTI Act, the public sector hospitals would be run by a board of governors and the civil service law would be abolished while doctors and paramedical staff would be inducted through a new service structure.With the plan of implementing MTI Reforms Act, the government is planning to make hospitals as earning units instead of serving patients and doctors would not allow government to do so, said YDA President at BBH Dr. Rana Azeem while talking to ‘The News’ on Thursday. He said the nurses and paramedics have joined hands with the doctors to restrict government from making treatment unaffordable for poor patients and the healthcare staff all across the province is on strike on Thursday for the cause.

from The News International - National http://bit.ly/2Y5nXZb