ISLAMABAD: Employees of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) have announced that they would close out-patient departments (OPDs) of the hospital from Monday (today).

OPDs will remain closed until President Dr Arif Alvi signs the Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) Repeal Bill, which has already sailed through the parliament and just needs approval of the president for it to become an Act.

Federal Health Alliance (FHA) spokesperson Dr Asfandyar Khan, while talking to Dawn, said all OPDs would remain closed on Monday and employees would gather outside the administration block at 8am and continue their protest till 2pm.

He alleged that a mafia had been imposed in Pims and was involved in grabbing resources of the public sector hospital.

FHA President Dr Haider Abbasi said the protest would continue till repeal of the MTI law which had become a black law for health workers and patients.

He said earlier, during the tenure of PTI, employees had protested for 72 days and they could do it again. Chairman of FHA Chaudhry Qamar Gujjar said that it was unfortunate that the implementation of the MTI Repeal Bill was being delayed.

He said that those who were appointed through MTI Act were getting Rs500,000 per month as salary and were behind the delay in signing the bill.

It is worth mentioning that in November 2020, Dr Alvi had promulgated the MTI Ordinance suggesting that the hospital will be run through a board of governors (BoG). According to the ordinance, the BoG had to deal with all affairs of Pims.

The members were appointed and notified by the Ministry of National Health Services on the recommendation of a search and nomination council. Even though, employees protested against the ordinance, it sailed through the parliament.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2022