ISLAMABAD: Employees of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Thursday staged a demonstration at D-Chowk to protest against Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) Ordinance promulgated last month.

A large number of PIMS employees, representatives of trade unions, political figures, and health representatives marched from PIMS hospital till D-Chowk against the MTI ordinance promulgated by the President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi.

The ordinance constituted a board of governors (BoG) to run the hospital’s affair.

The employees were carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans against the MTI.

The protesters were of the view that the MTI ordinance was a conspiracy to lease out belongings of the hospital.

The participants said they would continue protest till the withdrawal of MTI ordinance.

A heavy contingent of police was deployed on the occasion to avert any untoward situation.

The GHA vice chairman Riaz Gujjar said the PIMS employees were on protest for the last 35 days, and had been begging the government to listen to them and address their reservations but the government had so far not addressed their demands.

Due to lukewarm response of the government, the GHA staged march till D-Chowk to press the government for fulfillment of their demands.

If the government failed to fulfill our demands, the GHA will start protest across the country, he said, adding that the PIMS employees would also continue their protest inside the hospital.

He said that if the government wanted to bring reforms, the employees would support it but the status of the hospital should not be changed.

YDA KP president Dr Rizwan Kundi, and Punjab president Dr Salman Haseeb said we will stand against implementation of the MTI Ordinance at the PIMS.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021