ATH admin bows to doctors’ demands

ABBOTTABAD: Following one-day strike by doctors, the administration of Ayub Teaching Hospital (ATH) Monday accepted their demands including withdrawal of explanation letters issued to doctors and halting implementation of biometric system in the hospital.

However, thousands of patients suffered due to apathy of both the doctors and hospital management.

Although emergency cover was available, patients who had come from far-flung areas went back without medical check-up. A number of patients, who were given appointments for surgery, were also disappointed.

The strike was announced after explanation letters were issued to more than 150 medical officers for not following biometric attendance. Hundreds of doctors took out procession against the hospital administration and chanted slogans.

The protesters went to the administration block where security staff locked the top management in their offices. The protesters tried to enter the locked premises but failed, and they then broke glass doors and also demonstrated in all the wards of the hospital.

Later, the hospital administration offered the representatives of Provincial Doctors Association (PDA) for dialogue, during which hospital administration accepted the demands.

The one-hour long meeting was attended by PDA president Dr Aminullah Afridi, Dr Hafeez, Dr Daud Iqbal, Dr Zaheer, Dr Khatib, Dr Sajjad and Dr Surani while Dean Ayub Medical College Dr Azizunnisa, Medical Director Dr Salim Afzal and Hospital Director Brig (r) Muhammad Ajmal represented the administration.

The doctors told the media that they have assured fulfilment of all their demands including provision of professional health allowance, increase in salaries and stipends according to new structure, incorporation of revised house rent in salaries, upgradation of doctors as per the high court decision, fulfilment of deficiencies in faculties as per PMDC rules, provision of proper security to all the hostels, construction of new hostel for doctors and defining proper duty hours and provision of overtime incentives as per financial rules.