PESHAWAR, Jan 22: The teacher's association of Khyber Medical College and Post Graduate Medical Institute (PGMI) has condemned the recent suspension, demotion and transfer of teachers and demanded withdrawal of the orders.

According to a press release issued here on Wednesday, the executive committee of the teachers' body appealed to Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani and NWFP Chief Secretary Ijaz Quraishi to intervene in the matter and help resolve the problem created what it said by the malafide actions of the provincial health secretariat.

The committee described the orders as discriminatory and unjustified, the press release said. A joint meeting of the executive committee and PGMI's representatives was held here the other day.

The teachers' body alleged that the provincial health secretariat was trying to do a favour to particular groups and people, the press release said. The three recent cases of suspension, transfer and demotion had caused unrest among the doctors and medical teachers of Khyber Teaching Hospital and Lady Reading Hospital, the press release said.

The provincial health secretariat has suspended Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr Syed Amjad Hussain of the LRH for allegedly refusing to perform surgery on a patient. Later on, it turned out after an investigation that Dr Amjad Hussain did not perform the operation because the patient had high blood pressure which was risky.

Another assistant professor of the KTH was first demoted and then transferred to the LRH. The third case was that was of Ophthalmologist Dr Mustafa Iqbal who was transferred from the KTH to the LRH on flimsy reasons.