The row between the MS of CMCH Dr Zulfikar Siyal and Prof Ali Akbar Bhand, head of the Department of Neurosurgery, apparently started over question of ‘authority.’

On Tuesday, the professor had refused to accompany the MS on his round of the ward and argued that he was not under his authority. He was answerable only to the principal of CMC, he added.

In wake of the dispute, the academic council of CMC demanded removal of the MS in a meeting on Wednesday. The meeting also decided that the teaching faculty would stop working except for giving emergency cover to the patients and the consultants would not attend the OPDs’ nor do any operations till the MS was removed.

The Chandka Teachers Association and the Larkana chapter of the Pakistan Medical Association fully endorsed the decisions of the academic council while the steering committee of the CMCH demanded Prof Bhand’s removal and requested the academic council to withdraw its boycott decision.

The CTA president Prof Zaffar Pirzado and the PMA head Prof Afsar said that the consultants would not only boycott the OPD but also stop teaching in the CMC and in the CMCH.

The MS of CMCH Dr Zulfikar Siyal termed the demand for his removal without any charges ‘unreasonable’ and requested the consultants to attend OPD and indoor patients and stop the practice of admitting patients of private clinics.

He said that his instruction that all patients should be admitted through OPDs and the casualty department had perhaps hurt the consultants most. The standoff entered the third day on Friday when the professors, assistant professors and senior registrars continued boycott of work and Prof Zaffar Pirzado, president of CTA and the PMA head Prof Afsar Bhutto jointly led a procession, demanding the government remove the MS of CMCH.

The PMA and CTA heads said that nothing short removal of the MS would be acceptable to both the organisations.

Realising gravity of the situation, VC of the SBBMU Prof Sikandar Ali Shaikh held a marathon meeting with the presidents of two bodies to resolve the dispute because the boycott was compounding suffering of patients admitted to the CMCH and its affiliate hospitals.

The heads of the two bodies have sought a day’s time from the VC to formulate a reply after consulting other office bearers.

The MS of CMCH was ready for patch-up but the PMA and CTA leadership were reluctant to end the boycott without getting him removed, according to sources.