ABBOTTABAD: Thousands of patients suffered at the Ayub Teaching Hospital here on Monday as the outpatient and allied services remained suspended for the 12th consecutive day due to a strike by doctors.

The call for strike was given the removal of hospital director Dr Khayal Afridi and security supervisor Faredoon Khan on Oct 20 over the dean office attack.

The police had registered an FIR on the administration’s complaint following an inquiry into the incident.

As the doctors were on strike, OPDs, operating theatres, laboratories and other facilities were closed.

The patients criticised doctors and administration for their misery and complained that no step had been taken for the resumption of medical services.

Some of them flayed the new health system introduced under the Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act.

When contacted, Ayub Medical College dean Prof Umer Farooq said the doctors had no ‘moral or legal’ grounds to boycott duty as the BoG had acted against the hospital director and security supervisor after holding a proper inquiry and following all codal formalities.

He said a notification had been issued for the extension of health emergency to the entire province, so forced suspension of essential services in the hospital was unlawful.

Ayub Medical Teaching Institution medical director Dr Ahsan Aurangzeb told Dawn that the two hospital employees were removed in line with the efficiency and discipline rules and following a high-level inquiry.

CELEBRATORY FIRING: The Hazara police have launched a crackdown on celebratory firing in all eight districts of Hazara division.

Over 100 FIRs have been registered and 120 people have been arrested in the division over firing in the air in wedding functions and other festive occasions.

DIG of Hazara police Qazi Jamilur Rehman had ordered the crackdown on both celebratory firing and illegal sale of firecrackers and ammunition.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2020