PIMS protesters announce to stage sit-in at D-Chowk

Islamabad : A march towards D-Chowk will be the next step that employees of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) will take if the government persists with ignoring their demand for withdrawal of the Medical Teaching Institutions (MTI) legislation.

The protesters observed a hunger strike on Friday—a day also marked by the closure of all departments of PIM, with the exception of emergency and COVID ward.

“We are surprised why the government wants to experiment with implementation of MTI at a time when the country is gripped by the second wave of Covid-19,” the chairman of the Grand Health Alliance Dr. Asfandyar stated. He thanked Senator Rehman Malik for taking sou moto action against the privatisation of PIMS. “Our voice will now echo in the Senate too. I will also challenge this Ordinance in the court of law. There will be no stepping back; in fact, we will intensify our protest further, and will fight against this injustice at every forum,” Dr. Asfandyar stated.

The Vice Chairman of GHA Riaz Gujjar said, the staff of all other public sector hospitals in Islamabad have also expressed solidarity with employees of PIMS, and will soon join us in the protest. “The government will have to review its decision,” he demanded.

Spokesperson Dr. Hyder clarified that PIMS wanted dialogue, not strike. “This hospital successfully tackled the first wave of COVID-19. As such, there is no justification for a change in the system at a time when the second wave is raging. A failed system should not be tried in the federal capital at this crucial time,” he urged.