Employees of hospitals observe strike against govt plan

CHITRAL: Medical and paramedical staff as well as Class IV employees of hospitals and other healthcare units across Chitral observed a strike against government’s plan to set up district and regional health authorities which the protesters said was aimed at privatizing public sector hospitals.

The protest was held at the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital lower Chitral, tehsil headquarters headquarters hospitals Drosh, Booni, Garam Chashma, rural health centres of Koghuzi, Mastuj, Shagram, Warijun and all the basic health units (BHUs).

Though  emergency treatment was provided at these centres, patients visiting the hospitals suffered a lot during the strike.

Addressing a gathering of doctors and other employees in Chitral, Doctors Association’s president Dr Ziauddin, paramedical association’s Waqar Ahmed and Jamal Uddin, nurses’ representative Sakina Bibi and Class-IV Association’s Muhammad Ilyas said they would never accept the privatization of government hospitals.

They said the government’s plan instead of improving the working of the health sector would make treatment at public sector hospitals out of the reach of the poor patients.