LARKANA, Feb 20: Despite the transfer of Medical Superintendent of Chandka Medical College Hospital Dr Zulfikar Siyal, paramedical staff continued their protest on Monday for the fourth consecutive day.

"I have received an order through fax on Monday from the department of health wherein Dr Ashfaque Memon, a 20-grade officer, was made medical superintendent of the CMCH," said Dr Siyal.

"The new MS did not contact me," he said. The transferred MS waited for Dr Memon to come and join but he did not turn up.

The paramedics have been observing strike, including closure of central OPD and boycott of operation theatre duties, from Feb 17. The protest has multiplied the miseries of patients coming to this 1,350-bed hospital.

Shahi Khan Jagirani, president of the CMCH Paramedics Association, said that about 2,000 patients visited OPDs on daily basis. Ghulam Hussain Jalbani, chairman of the association, told Dawn that the X-ray unit and pathology laboratory were closed and only emergency cover was provided to patients on Monday.

He said removal of Dr Siyal was one of their demands, adding that several problems were yet to be solved. He said stoppage of more than 30 employees' salaries, restoration of job quota for the sons of paramedics and repair of their residential colony were included in the charter of demand.

"Our strike would continue till acceptance of our demands and mere transfer of the MS of CMCH Larkana will not satisfy us," he said.