The Young Doctors Association (YDA) on Monday continued the strike across government hospitals in Punjab for the fourth consecutive day on Monday.
The protest, launched against Medical Teaching Institutions (MTI) Reform, has caused massive problems for patients.
The out-patient departments (OPDs) of all government-run hospitals in Punjab were closed by paramedical staff and nurses in all major cities, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan, Sargodha and Faisalabad, to protest the proposed privatisation of the government-run hospitals.
The YDA said it would not allow the government to privatise government hospitals and vowed to continue the strike until their demands were met.
On the other hand, Young Nurses Association members continued their protests in Peshawar for the fulfilment of their demands.
Over in Karachi, the nursing staff staged a protest outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC).
As per the details, the police started arresting the protesting nursing staff as soon they started to march towards the Chief Minister’s House and managed to stop them from entering the red zone.
The nurses continued their boycott of emergency wards, intensive care units (ICU), paediatric intensive care units (PICU), cardiac intensive care units (CICU), labour rooms and operation theatres and wards in all government hospitals of the province to press the government to approve their health professional allowance and promote nurses under the four-tier formula.
Reacting to the protest, the health secretary said there was no reason for the protest, as the government was mulling over the demands of the nursing staff.
The secretary also informed Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah about the demands and current position of the protest.
Sources within the Health Department said it was made crystal clear that a notification for acceptance of the nursing staff’s demands would not be issued, as the protest continued. Meanwhile, the Sindh chief minister advised the authorities concerned to resolve the issue peacefully.