Young doctors, nursing students call off strike
 

The protesting young doctors and nursing students of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) on Thursday announced that they were calling off their strike of OPDs and operation theatres after the hospital administration assured them of payment of their two months’ salaries prior to Eid-ul-Fitr.
The young doctors and nursing students had announced to observe continuous strike of the OPD and operation theatres from Thursday against non-payment of their salaries, which were not paid to them for the last five months.
On Thursday, hundreds of young doctors and nursing students from the JPMC School of Nursing gathered at Najmuddin Auditorium of the JPMC and marched towards the emergency ward of the hospital where they staged a protest demonstration.
Most of the young doctors and nursing students boycotted the OPDs, ward duties and refused to perform at operation theatres against non-payment of salaries to house officers, postgraduate trainees and nursing students and vowed to continue their protest unless they are paid their salaries.
During their protest in front of the JPMC Accident and Emergency Ward, the JPMC administration invited the protesting doctors for negotiations and during the talks they were assured that they would be paid two months salary prior to Eid-ul-Fitr.
A representative of the young doctors of the JPMC, Dr Azizullah told The News that they were on strike and protesting in front of the Accident and Emergency Ward of the JPMC when the Joint Executive Director of the JPMC Dr Seemi Jamali invited their representatives for talks.
“After negotiations, Dr Seemi Jamali assured us that two months salaries for the months of July and August 2011 would be provided to the young doctors prior to Eid-ul-Fitr while for earlier salaries, the JPMC administration is already in contact with the federal government”, he informed.
He said Dr Jamali told the young doctors’ representatives those two months’ salaries would be paid to the doctors from the funds provided by the Sindh government after the devolution of the hospital while for earlier salaries of the doctors; the federal government had not provided funds to the JPMC.
“But the JPMC administration is already in contact with the federal secretary health and we were assured that as soon as the federal government clears its liabilities”, Dr Azizullah said adding that the nursing students were also assured that they would get their stipends prior to Eid.
On another issue of some 300 house officers, who have completed their six months’ training at the JPMC, Dr Seemi Jamali assured the young doctors that their interviews for the next six months’ tenure would be held on August 25 and they would be given the opportunity to complete their training at the JPMC, Dr Azizullah informed.
On the assurances from the JPMC administration, the young doctors and nursing students decided to call off their strike immediately and assured the JPMC administration that they would return to their duties at the OPDs, wards and operation theatres from Friday (today).
They, however, made it clear that if the promises made by Dr Seemi Jamali regarding payment of two months salaries prior to Eid-ul-Fitr were not honoured, protesting doctors and nursing students would resort to protest and strike for unspecified period after Eid-ul-Fitr.