CHARSADDA, Aug 3: Patients at district headquarters hospital, Charsadda, on Saturday condemned the strike by doctors and paramedics against its medical superintendent who wanted them to ensure their presence on duty for providing timely treatment to patients.

The doctors and paramedics have been on strike for the last few days to protest against what they called ‘rude attitude’ of the MS, Mohammad Khan Afridi. When the paramedics closed the OPD, the MS himself sat there and started providing treatment to the patients, but the former again forced the closure of OPD.

On this, a large number of patients rallied in front of the MS office against the doctors’ action.

Additional assistant commissioner Nek Mohammad and DSP Sajjad later held negotiations with the doctors and paramedics to end their strike. The MS and doctors were given three days to sort out their matters.

The medical superintendent said on the occasion that the chief justice had banned strikes and demonstrations in hospitals and they were duty-bound to provide timely treatment to patients.

Pir Aftab Alam, divisional president of Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz Pakistan, criticised the strike by the hospital staff and extended his support to the MS. He called for immediate transfer of the incompetent staff from the hospital.

Meanwhile, people of the area have registered complaints with the authorities concerned against the ongoing tussle between the paramedics and MS, calling for appropriate measures to end the row. They said that Charsadda hospital was still in category ‘B’, while 37 posts of doctors had been lying vacant since long.

They urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to provide the required staff and make the DHQ hospital fully functional.

MAN DROWNS: One Attaullah, a social worker and resident of Pandakhel, drowned in Tangi River here the other day.

Local people said that Attaullah was coming from Tangi to Charsadda on his motorbike when he fell into the river. His body was later recovered from the river and handed over to his relatives.