Daily Times

KARACHI: A Joint Action Committee (JAC) of public-sector doctors protesting for a better service structure have decided to boycott Out-Patient Departments (OPDs) across the province from Thursday (today).

The announcement was made after negotiations with provincial authorities remained futile and no headway was made on their demands.

The delegation of protesting doctors included Dr Qaiser Sajjad, Dr Usman Makho, Dr Muhammad Ali Thalho, and Dr Abdul Razzaq Rajar. The provincial health department was represented by Additional Secretary Health Akram Khawaja.

Briefing the media after the meeting, Dr Abdul Razzaq Rajar said that there were 5,000 doctors whose promotion was due against vacant posts. However, Sindh government was not issuing promotion orders, he added.

He said the government had issued orders pertaining to only allowances and salaries.

Dr Rajar claimed that doctors serving with the provincial government in Sindh were getting a mere Rs4,000 for non-practising allowance, whereas in other provinces, public sector doctors were getting between Rs. 50,000 and 100,000 as non-practising allowance.

“We have decided that until a notification regarding our demands is not issued, we will continue the boycott of OPDs. Emergency departments and operation theatres will remain functional to facilitate the public,” he announced.

On other hand, the Health Department has held that the demands made by the doctors were baseless since promotions had already been notified.

Talking to Daily Times, Additional Health Secretary Jalaluddin Jalalani dismissed that the government was not promoting doctors. “In compliance with court’s orders, we have recently already prompted doctors in eight categories out of nine. A meeting regarding the remaining one category is scheduled in a week’s time. So the doctors have no justification to protest,” Jalalani said.

“For example, in three categories of female doctors, promotions were done from 17 to 18, 18 to 19 and 19 to 20 grade categories. Similarly, for male doctors, promotions have been done from 17 to 18 and 19 to 20 grade. Only one category is left. Decision about that category will be taken next week,” he held.

On Wednesday, doctors observed a token strike in provincial hospitals. They wore black armbands and staged demonstrations in the premises of the hospitals.

Meanwhile, a team of doctors ended their hunger strike on the request of Dr S M Qaisar Sajjad, the secretary general of the Pakistan Medical Association. Two doctors on strike have already been admitted to a hospital on deterioration of their health.

“I made a request to doctors on hunger strike and I am thankful that they obliged me,” Dr Sajjad said. He said he supported the call for boycott of the OPDs till demands of the protesting doctors were not met.

Doctors are demanding regular appointments, timely promotions, implementation of service structure, issuance of hard area allowance, and release of pending salaries.

Published in Daily Times, February  22^nd 2018.