HYDERABAD, Dec 22 House officers of the Civil Hospital Hyderabad once again took to the streets here on Monday against what they called mismanagement of hospital affairs and lack of security for doctors performing night duties.

They demanded deployment of Rangers in the hospital premises instead of police which had failed to protect them. The protesting doctors included those who were doing their house job and diploma in post-graduation. They blocked the hospital road for over one hour, causing suspension of vehicular traffic which had to be diverted to other roads. During their protest, the hospital work was affected to some extent.

Talking to Dawn the protesting doctors, including women, said that their main demands were related to payment of enhanced stipend; non-payment of stipend to those post-graduation who were doing their diplomas, lack of proper security and non-availability of life saving drugs.

The hospital administration has recently set-up a police kiosk in the hospital in front of cardiology ward following some incidents in which doctors and paramedical staff were manhandled. The doctors, however, rejected the claim that police are of any help for them given the fact that recently a resident medical officer (RMO), Dr Bilal Rasheed, was fired upon by an attendant a couple of days ago.

“We need deployment of rangers in the hospital so that proper security arrangements can be ensured to us”, said Dr. Jehanzeb Pathan, who was leading the protest under the banner of the Doctors Forum”.

The doctors also complained that many incidents go unreported in the hospital and they remained at the mercy of outsiders who barged into the wards on one or the other pretext and had no qualms in mistreating doctors roughly.

“We are tired of reporting such incidents to hospital medical superintendent”, said Dr.Pathan. His argument that non-payment of enhanced stipend to house-officers was not officially notified was also supported by his colleagues, Dr. Adeel Memon and Dr. Abdul Hadi Memon. “The house officers in Punjab get Rs18,000 while we are still being given Rs6,000 as notification of Rs12,000 stipend is yet to be issued”, they said.

The doctors also said that those doing diplomas don't get a single penny from provincial health department in terms of stipend although they are supposed to back-bone of hospital as they perform duties for 30 to 36 hours. They demanded that some stipend should be paid to them.

“We don't get life saving drugs for indoor patients and most of the deaths that take place in hospital can be attributed to delayed provision of drugs”, said Dr. Hadi Memon. He alleged that they are provided quality No-2 drugs while no medicines of multi-national company is supplied to them for patients.

He said that chowkidar of the wards allowed access to the people for consideration of just Rs5 which leads to an unpleasant situation as most of such visitors tried to make advances on female doctors and misbehaved with them. “

After staging protest the doctors dispersed peacefully. No senior doctor from RMO, professor or associate professor cadre came in support of these doctors, who later expressed their disappointment over it. The protesters said that what they are demanding would not only benefit them but their seniors as well.

Rejecting allegations of doctors, the Medical Superintendent Dr. Abdul Jabbar Shaikh said that security had already been ensured in the hospital while local purchase of drugs is available for all indoor patients. “No discrimination takes place as far as provision of drugs for indoor patients is concerned”, he said.