SUKKUR: A pregnant woman who was brought in serious condition to Sukkur Civil Hospital on Wednesday died without getting medical help since no doctor attended her during the ongoing strike of healthcare officials and paramedics.

The relatives of late Roz Khatoon who had come from Said Mohammad Shah Bharo village near Ghouspur protested at the hospital and said that doctors in Ghouspur had advised them to immediately shift her to Sukkur for caesarean surgery but when they reached the hospital they were asked to go back.

No doctor was ready to attend to her and they let her and her baby die, they claimed.

They demanded provincial health minister and other higher authorities concerned take action against the striking doctors for denying a dying patient medical help.

The doctors and paramedics of Government Anwar Piracha Hospital and Civil Hospital had been on strike for the past five days in protest against brief arrest of Anwar Piracha Hospital medical superintendent Dr Iqbal Ahmed Siddiqui at the behest of Sukkur Deputy Commissioner Raheem Bux Maitlo.

The striking doctors led by Dr Shahid Mirani, Dr Rafiq Memon, Dr Iqbal Ahmed Siddiqui and others took out a rally from Government Anwar Piracha Hospital and marched to the press club where they held a sit-in.

They announced that their colleagues in private hospitals would also join the protest from Thursday. They said that Sukkur deputy commissioner used foul language against MS Dr Siddiqui and had him hauled off to SSP’s office where a fake FIR was also lodged against him.

They demanded immediate transfer of the DC and said their protest would continue till the officer was transferred or he tendered unconditional written apology.

The DC told journalists that doctors’ strike was completely unjustified as it was causing great inconvenience to poor patients.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2017