LARKANA: Doctors doing house job at the Bibi Aseefa Dental College continued with their boycott of duties on Saturday for disbursement of their three months’ stipend and withdrawal of the show-cause notices, issued to their three women colleagues for joining the protest.

The protesters are also demanding updating of medical facilities at the hospital.

Carrying placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands and calling for removal of the principal, they urged the Chandka Medical College Hospital administration to withdraw the show-cause notices.

Dr Suhail Mustafa Shaikh, Dr Nisar Chandio and others, speaking to the media outside the hospital, pointed out that there as a shortage of instruments and machinery required for dental procedures. They said that in the absence of ‘autoclave’ machine, they were facing the issue of sterilisation, adding that same instruments had to be reused frequently. According to them, HIV and Hepatitis B patients had been reporting at the hospital. Instead of resolving the genuine issues, the administration was harassing doctors by issuing show-cause notices to them, they deplored.

“Our protest is peaceful but the hospital administration had, in the notices, accused us of using ‘abusive’ language which was a false allegation,” they said.

The protesting doctors said that the leadership of the Young Doctors Association were ready to join their protest and if the authorities concerned turned a deaf ear towards the genuine demands and addressing them, the spectrum of protest could be widened.

They said that the list of demands was submitted with the principal of the Bibi Aseefa Dental College some time back but it was put on the backburner. “Where the money collected from visiting patients would go?” they posed a question, and asked as to why the same was not being used for upgrading the facilities?

Inquiry committee

The registrar of the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU) had on Friday formed a three-member committee to hold a probe into the OPD boycott and “media trial” by the house officers working at the BADC.

Prof Dr Riaz Ahmed Shaikh heads the committee with Dr Mehmood Ali Wagan, Additional Medical Superintendent (House Officers), Chandka Medical College Hospital, and Dr Aswad Ahmed Pathan, Vice Principal of BADC, being its other members. The committee would submit its report within five days, the registrar’s order said.

The committee has been asked to look into the matter of boycott, ascertain facts and recommend disciplinary action against the delinquent.

Earlier on October 23, the BADC principal had written a letter to the CMCH medical superintendent conveying to him the information regarding the OPD boycott and “media trial interviews” of house officers posted at the BADC. He said that the house officers were demanding gowns, face shields and other material

for doing scaling within the periodontology department. Clarifying the situation, the letter said these materials were

essentially used during pandemic period when strict safety measures had to be put in place.

In the current situation, these items are no longer required to the same extent as per the revised protocols.

The house officers have been provided sufficient materials that meet current standards ensuring their safety and ability to perform their duties effectively, the principal said in his letter.

Regarding biometric, he said that all faculty members, officers, officials and house officers should adhere to this system without exception. Citing above reasons, the principal told the CMCH medical superintendent to consider “strict disciplinary action” against the house officers involved in disturbing environment at the BADC.

The letter mentioned the names some of the protesting house officers as Dr Lareb Noor Danwar, Dr Sana Fatima Mughal and Dr Adeena Shaikh.

Acting upon BADC principal’s letter, the CMCH medical superintendent on Thursday issued letters to the three officers asking them to explain their position within the next 24 hours.

They have been warned of “severe disciplinary action” as per law if they could not satisfy the authorities in their explanation.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2024