KARACHI: Around 250 house officers and postgraduate trainee doctors working at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital have demanded that the provincial government release their stipends that haven’t been paid by the hospital administration for four months.

The doctors have now stopped working in the out-patient departments in protest.

Speaking to Dawn, doctors complained that they would be without their due salaries during Eid holidays as the hospital administration had just turned a deaf ear to their genuine grievances.

“The officials have been making hollow promises in every meeting we have had with them over the past four months. Now, we appeal to the chief minister to intervene in the matter and direct the officials concerned to release our stipends,” shared an ASH house officer.

He regretted that the junior doctors, who were required to do long duty hours and work on holidays, were penalised the most in hospitals.

“We are forced to work in poor conditions. Everyone knows that ASH lacks basic facilities such as water. There is a serious lack of hygiene and we have to do everything on a self-help basis,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (Pima) has also issued a statement, endorsing doctors’ demand.

“Depriving the ASH doctors of their salaries even on Eid is utter mismanagement and injustice. These doctors are suffering from mental stress and it’s important that the government get their due salaries released so they do their duties with a peace of mind,” said Pima Karachi president Prof Abdullah Muttaqi.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2022