Non-payment of salaries: young doctors, nurses boycott JPMC's OPDs, operation theatres

The paramedical staff, young doctors and nursing students of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) boycotted the Out Patient Departments (OPDs) and Operation Theatres of the facility, demanding early release of their outstanding salaries. They wore black armbands and shouted slogans against JPMC administration for non-payment of salaries to them for last five months.
They warned to observe complete strike from Thursday if their demands were not met. They protesting young doctors and nursing students, however, made it clear that they would not boycott emergency department, saying that they did not want patients to suffer due to their protest.
The young doctors said that many doctors including house officers and postgraduate trainees as well as nursing students from JPMC School of Nursing had not yet been paid stipends for last five months. Chairman, Young Nurses Association, Akhtar Joya, told Business Recorder that salaries of nurses and stipends of nursing students have not been released for the last five months.
He said the nurses who are employed in intensive care units (ICU) including emergency and Operation Theatre are entitled to derive special allowances. The title Charge Nurse should be replaced by the name of Nursing Officer in accordance with government decision, Joya said. He deplored that despite the protest by the young doctors and paramedical staff, not a single official from the JPMC administration talked to protestors.
He said if the JPMC administration could not resolve the problems being faced by the staff and was unable to pay them salaries, it should step down and let others to take charge of the facility. He said that the federal government as well as Sindh health department said that they had provided funds to the JPMC administration for payment of salaries to staff, hence it was now the responsibility of the JPMC administration to pay them salaries.
"The protesting young doctors and paramedical staff unanimously resolved that from Thursday onwards, they would completely boycott the OPDs, ward duties and operation theatres in protest against non-payment of salaries to them," he announced.
On the other hand, sources in JPMC administration said that young doctors and nursing students protested against non-payment of their salaries and said the JPMC administration had already written to AGPR for the release of salaries to JPMC staff. Steering Committee of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) had earlier announced to go on strike against the devolution of the institution and non-payment of salaries to the employees but the did not materialise the decision yet.