UPPER DIR: Patients across the Upper Dir district suffered as doctors and paramedical staff boycotted duties on Monday to protest against the registration of FIR against their colleagues in Wari hospital the other day.

Doctors and paramedical staff refused to attend to patients in OPDs and laboratories in DHQ hospital, other healthcare facilities and rural health centres across the district.

Patients complained about not being examined in DHQ hospital.

Rahatullah, a local, said he had brought his brother in critical condition to the DHQ hospital, but he was not attended due to strike of doctors and paramedics.

Similarly, hundreds of other patients, who came from far off areas of the district to the DHQ hospital, suffered a lot due to the strike.

An attendant of a patient from Patrak said the patient was admitted to hospital three days ago, but his treatment was yet to start owing to the strike. He said scores of other patients remained unattended by the doctors.

The same situation was witnessed in hospitals in Wari, Brawal, Sheirngal and Patrak.

When contacted, medical superintendent of the DHQ hospital, told Dawn that doctors and paramedical staff across the district had gone on a strike against lodging of FIR against their colleagues in Wari hospital the other day.

However, he said despite strike, he had got deployed doctors in the emergency ward of the hospital for attending patients. He asked the authorities to resolve the matter immediately.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2018