PESHAWAR: Health employees called off their strike on Thursday evening after the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government announced professional allowance for paramedics on the pattern of doctors and nurses, but said the Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act 2015 would be enforced in letter and spirit.

“There will be no back-pedalling on enforcement of the MTI Act and the transfer of employees from the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) and Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) will not be cancelled,” Health Secretary Jamal Yousaf told Dawn.

He said the case of the Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI) was sub judice and, therefore, the issue of its dissolution had not been taken up at a meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, on Thursday. The meeting was attended by the representatives of doctors, nurses, paramedics and class IV employees where the announcement to end the strike was made.

Mr Yousaf said the dissolution of PGMI was in accordance with the MTI Act approved by the provincial assembly, aimed at promoting postgraduate medical education in the province.

The Health Employees Coordination Council had started the strike in teaching hospitals on Tuesday against the enforcement of the MTI Act.

The health secretary said the hospitals where the MTI Act was implemented had become independent and free of government influence and could make their own decisions.

The council’s general secretary, Syed Roidar Shah, said the government had made duty hours optional in teaching hospitals. The employees working from 8am to 4pm will get Saturday and Sunday as weekly off and those working from 8am to 2pm will be entitled to one day off.

He said the government had agreed to speed up work on the paramedics’ service structure which was yet to be completed despite several announcements made in the past.

According to sources, the striking employees faced fatigue over the past three days and it was difficult for them to sustain the momentum of protests.

In the Khyber Teaching Hospital, class IV employees physically assaulted its public relations officer, kicked at the doors of the office of the medical director and made noise in OPDs. They even used abusive language and stopped consultants from sitting in OPDs.

“The administration didn’t cooperate. We requested them to control the protesters, but no action was taken,” a consultant told Dawn. According to him, the action started at the Lady Reading Hospital scared away the protesters, while a chaotic situation prevailed in the KTH.

An official said action against 71 employees of the KTH had been recommended to the government.

The Hayatabad Medical Complex, however, remained calm and operated smoothly.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2016