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KARACHI: The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics, associated with Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center (JPMC), has announced a two-hour (9 am to 11 am) token strike from Monday.
The JPMC staff and their colleagues from National Institute of Child Health (NICH) on Saturday urged the concerned authorities to make a clear and urgent announcement that the two hospitals will not be placed under the provincial health department.
"Since no single official has even bothered to meet us till date therefore we have decided not to work at OPDs, Emergency and Accident Section and in wards for two hours daily," said an office bearer of the JAC.
He said the JAC in principle does not want to create any inconvenience to patients and therefore despite protests and processions for the past one week no patient was turned down.
"We will continue with our approach and have decided that while no work will be done in the first two hours of the day we would try to compensate by serving two extra hours in the afternoon," he said.
The JAC warned that this must not be taken as any weakness and a serious and sincere response must be extended immediately by authorities concerned.
Meanwhile, protests by JPMC and NICH staff that entered its seventh day on Saturday, was also joined by co-professionals from National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD).
On the occasion senior as well as junior doctors, nurses and paramedics staged a sit-in at the main gate of JPMC. Holding banners inscribed with their demands they also chanted slogan for clear policy about their fate as well as that of their hospitals.
Demands to grant federal university status to the three post- graduate medical centers was also made on the occasion.
The protesting doctors were also joined by Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) representatives including Prof. Idress Adhi, Dr. Samrina Hashmi and Dr. Syed Ali Azhar.
They appealed to the government on behalf of the PMA to announce a clear-cut policy about the status of the three institutions in post 18th amendment scenario, with due stock towards protection of the rights and interest of concerned employees including teaching faculty, medical professionals and others.
