ISLAMABAD: Employees of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Tuesday kept all outpatient departments (OPDs) closed in protest for acceptance of their demands.

Moreover, around 50pc of patients were discharged from wards.

The management of the Pims had to postpone interviews for the appointment of casualty medial officers (CMOs) as employees were protesting against the decision of the government putting the hospital in schedule 1 which will deprive them of civil servants status.

On the other hand Federal Minister for Health Abdul Qadir Patel may visit the hospital on Wednesday (today).

Chairman Pakistan Young Consultants Association Dr Asfandyar Khan, while talking to Dawn, said that OPDs of main hospital called Islamabad Hospital, Children Hospital, MCH and Burn Center remained closed.

“However, we kept emergencies open as we did not want to put life of patients at stake. We have also learnt that Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar has tabled a bill in the Senate to restore Pims to 2018 position. We demand of Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani to play role for the passage of bill at the earliest,” he said.

Earlier, employees continued their protest and announced that the OPDs will remain closed till the acceptance of their demands.

President Grand Health Alliance (GHA) Chaudhry Qamar Gujjar said that government should put the hospital in schedule III at the earliest. GHA spokesperson Dr Haider Abbasi said that it was a positive step to repeal the Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) Act, introduced by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government but the status of the hospital has been changed which should be reversed to schedule III. He said it was unfortunate that the management had decided to hold interviews under MTI, though it has been repealed.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2022