PESHAWAR, June 3: Thousands of patients faced hardships as doctors at the two teaching hospitals of the city went on complete strike here on Tuesday.

The Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) and Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) wore a deserted look as the doctors stayed away from the outpatients department, operation theatres and wards to press the government for the acceptance of their demands about provision of accommodation, security and scholarships.

Patients seeking treatment at the two hospitals faced disappointment as most of them returned to their homes and some of them waited till evening to be checked by senior consultants at their clinics. Doctors at clinics said that they received more patients due to strike.

Leaders of the Provincial Doctors Association (PDA), which has given the strike call, visited both the hospitals in their efforts to make sure that none of their colleagues attend OPD, operation theatres or wards. Even the patients weren’t allowed to get OPD chits because of the closure of the chit-issuing rooms. However, emergency cover was provided to the critically-ill patients at both the hospitals.

PDA president Dr Abdul Qadir said that they wouldn’t hold talks with the government any more. He said that from the past several months, the government had been making false promises regarding the resolution of their problems, but nothing concrete had taken place.

“We have decided to extend our strike to Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), from Wednesday. If the government didn’t pay heed to our demands, then we would give complete strike call in the province,” he told Dawn.

He said that they were aware of patients’ problem, but they had no other option except going on strike to press government for acceptance of their demands.

Dr Qadir said that they had already sent a list of demands to the government and outlined the measures to be taken for the long and short term solution of their problems. The lack of interest by government, he said, had compelled them to observe strike, which was hitting the patients hard.

According to him, the caretaker government had agreed that 500 reserved posts would be created and doctors would be recruited on them to work as cover for their colleagues, who went on study leaves. But the government was dragging its feet on the recruitment of doctors, he added.

He said that they were sensing insecurity due to attacks by relatives of patients in the hospitals as one of their senior colleagues had been killed two months ago. “We want complete security for doctors so they could perform their duties fearlessly,” he added.

The government, he said, had hired rooms for doctors in different hotels for which huge amount was paid. This practice, he said, had been in progress for the last 20 years and the amount spent on rents could have been used for building new hostels for doctors. “We want better accommodation inside the hospitals because the doctors had to remain on duty round the clock,” he added.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the strike, lower staff of the two hospitals also had a field day. They also sat cross-legged and did nothing. Patients blamed both the doctors and the government for their woes.