ISLAMABAD: While patients suffered throughout the day because of a strike at out-patient departments (OPDs) of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Monday, employees of the hospital criticised President Dr Arif Alvi and suggested to him to behave like a president instead of a worker of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

Employees announced that OPDs would remain closed till the repeal of the Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) Act. 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. 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 had sailed through the parliament. The current government passed the MTI Repeal Bill and sent it to the president of Pakistan in order to get his nod but he (Dr Alvi) returned it with a suggestion to reconsider it. Now, the government has been left with no option but to pass the bill again in a joint session to make it an Act of law.

Spokesperson of Federal Health Alliance (FHA) Dr Asfandyar Khan, while talking to Dawn said that employees gathered outside the management block and held a protest from 8am till 2pm.

“It is unfortunate that the president of Pakistan has been behaving like a worker of PTI. We also demand that the Health Ministry should dissolve the BoG and announce a new body,” he said.

FHA President Dr Haider Abbasi said that the protest will continue till the repeal of MTI law which has 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.

FHA Chairman Chaudhry Qamar Gujjar said it was unfortunate that implementation of the MTI Repeal Bill was delayed because of the president.

He said those who were appointed through the MTI Act were getting a salary of Rs500,000 per month. Another leader Tanveer Noshahi said that employees never wanted to deprive patients from health services but they were left with no choice but to hold a strike.

He appealed to Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel to intervene and address the issue.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2022