KARACHI, June 29: As paramedics continued their protest in hospitals, patients visiting the OPD sections of the Sindh government hospitals returned disappointed. The paramedics have intensified their protest campaign and have increased the duration of their token strike to three hours on Wednesday. At Civil Hospital, where the number of paramedical staff, including dispensers, technicians, ward boys, sanitary workers, is around 1,600, the strike continued on the third day between 10 am and 1pm.

The employees are observing token strike from June 27, responding to a call given by the Paramedical Joint Action Committee. The action committee has announced that it would observe complete strike throughout the province on July 1.

The action committee comprises representatives of Pakistan Paramedical Staff, Sindh Paramedical Staff and All-Sindh Peoples Paramedical Staff associations.

The major demands of the action committee are immediate approval of the service structure for low-grade hospital employees and withdrawal of Sindh government decision about establishment of an autonomous governing board for teaching hospitals.

A Paramedical Joint Action Committee press release said that strike was also observed at Services Hospital, Lyari General Hospital, and hospitals of Orangi Town, Aligarh Town, Manghopir, Gadap Town, Keamari and other towns.

A sit-in was staged by the staff at CHK.

When contacted, the medical superintendent of CHK, Dr Saeed Qureshi, said there was minimal disturbance and patients suffered mostly due to delayed issuance of patient slips. The overall situation remained peaceful, he added.

Employees were of the view that the system of automatic promotions be made effective.

They said the officials and doctors of the Sindh government were enjoying all the facilities, but paramedics were being denied their due rights. They demanded 25 per cent quota in appointments for children of government employees.