ISLAMABAD, Oct 21: The tension and a strike call given by the young doctors at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) turned a new turn on Sunday when the non-gazetted employees of the hospital termed it a conspiracy and said they would not join the strike.

The non-gazetted employees include paramedics, male and female nurses, clerks and other staff in the Basic Pay Scale of 1 to 16.

On the other hand, as tension continued in the hospital, its newly-appointed executive director, Prof Dr Riaz Ahmad Warraich, remained on leave, it has been learnt.

It may be recalled that the guards of a bureaucrat allegedly tortured a doctor in front of the VIP ward of the hospital on Thursday. When the Young Doctors Association (YDA) tried to have a patch-up, they were again attacked by the guards. As a result, Dr Ali, Dr Abdul Razzaq and Dr Zahid sustained injuries. Later, the YDA announced its decision to observe a strike against the incident. On Friday, the YDA members scuffled with some of the senior doctors of the hospital when the latter objected to the strike call, leaving Dr Taqi and Dr Ejaz injured.

Saleem Bashir, the vice-president of the non-gazetted employees’ action committee, at a press conference on Sunday claimed that due to ethnic and provincial considerations during the tenure of the previous hospital administration, doctors from a particular province had established their monopoly at Pims. He said these doctors were responsible for disturbing the environment of the hospital.

“The doctors announce strikes on miner issues due to which patients have to suffer. Now young doctors have started even misbehaving and scuffling with their seniors.”

He said it was true that the guard of a customs department officer had misbehaved with a doctor in the parking area. However, the junior doctors beat up both the guard and the customs officer and then decided to go on a strike,” he added.

“It was not a big issue to stop operations and close the OPD. On Saturday, when senior doctors tried to start work in the OPD, they were manhandled by their juniors. The situation has created serious trouble for the patients,” he complained.

Mr Bashir appealed to the executive director of the hospital to proceed against the elements responsible for disrupting the working of the hospital.

On the other hand, the young doctors have announced that if the bureaucrat and his guards did not apologies to them, they would not only register an FIR against them but would also stop all services in the hospital.

Spokesman for Pims Dr Wasim Khawaja, while talking to Dawn, said: “We have been trying to make sure that the guards come to the hospital on Monday and apologise to the doctors. As far as the executive director is concerned, he is on leave to attend a marriage ceremony.”