ABBOTTABAD, Aug 11: Authorities of the Ayub Medical Complex Hospital suspended 15 employees and banned union activities in the hospital as the strike by the paramedics association entered its second day on Saturday.

The protesting staff, including paramedics, technicians, sanitation workers and, class-III and class-IV employees, boycotted duties, which badly affected the hospital’s functions and created many problems for patients and their attendants.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Ayub Medical Complex chief executive Prof Zai-ur-Rehman said that the management would not be blackmailed and a ‘clean-up operation’ would be carried out without any favour and fear.

He said that an amount of Rs7 million was allocated on the yearly basis from the Zakat fund for poor patients, but only Rs1 million was spent and the remaining amount was misappropriated.

After conducting an inquiry into the corrupt practice, the management took action against two employees as they were in-charge of the blood bank and did not deposit millions of rupees received from patients for blood screenings in the government account.

He said that after a detailed inquiry conducted by health officials, services of the employees were terminated, and the paramedics started boycotting work to force the management to get the employees reinstated.

About the appointment of permanent staff by the previous chief executive, he said that all the cases would be re-examined as merit was ignored during the appointments.

Due to the strike, not a single operation could be conducted in the three operation theatres where on normal days more than 70 surgeries are conducted.

However, doctors examined around 400 patients in OPD, where normally more than 1,600 patients come, sources said.

On Saturday, at least 21 major operations in different wards were put off and most of the patients had no option but to visit private hospitals.

However, the staff in some wards, like heart, ICU and CCU, remained on duty and worked.

Due to the closure of the blood bank and laboratories, attendants of patients got the required tests conducted at private labs and clinics.

The paramedics have presented a 13-point charter of demands to the hospital management, which includes among other things the re-instatement of the two employees, who were dismissed on corruption charges.

The only big hospital of Hazara with 1,800 beds is facing a number of problems created by the ongoing row between the staff and the management.

In the meantime, hectic efforts were seen through out the day by different circles which included the district nazim, union nazims and MPA Qalandar Khan Lodhi to resolve the issue, but the two sides remained stuck to their positions.

The chief executive said that for the cleanliness of the complex, special arrangements would be done by hiring the services of contract staff and doctors would perform the nursing duties onward till the strike was called off.