SAHIWAL: Young doctors, nurses, paramedics and other hospital staff of the DHQ Teaching Hospital held a protest against Medical Superintendent Dr Abdul Aziz for suspending from service eight doctors and 14 nurses and issuing show-cause notices to 50 other hospital employees.

The protest was held under the banner of the joint action committee, comprising members of the Young Doctor Association (YDA), Young Nurses Association, Pakistan Paramedical Staff Association and Sahiwal Paramedical Staff Association.

The protesters chanted slogans against Dr Aziz for showing, what they termed, highhandedness in dealing with the hospital affairs.

They were carrying banners andplacards with slogans against the action of the MS.

It is said Sahiwal Medical College (SMC) Principal Zafar Tanveer has formed a three-member committee to hold negotiations with the protesters.

The MS had taken the action after doctors and nurses were found absent from duty during the Eid days. Earlier, the hospital administration had issued orders for the doctors and paramedics to be on duty during Eid holidays.

Dr Shoaib, president of the local chapter of YDA, alleged when the commissioner and SMC principal paid a surprise visit to the hospital during Eid days, the MS himself was absent and he was called from his village. Later, he suspended doctors and nurses by following routine duty roster instead of following `Eid duty roster`.

Dr Shoaib said the DHQTeaching Hospital was an affiliated with the SMC and its jurisdiction of only the academic council to bring out `duty roster`under the rules, adding that it`s not the jurisdiction of the MS in a teaching hospital.

While talking to Dawn, the protesters termed their demands genuine and warned of turning their token strike into a permanent one.

The YDA is sticking to its demands, many of which are the same it had made during a protest at the hospital two months back.

The demands include cancellation of suspension orders, showcause notices and withholding of salary of suspended doctors and nurses; encouraging teaching environment at hospital; provision of proper facilities in emergency, pathology, pharmacy and radiology departments; end tooppressive behaviour of hospital management, specially against female doctors, induction of new staff to deal with five-time extra outdoor and indoor patients and improvement in security measuresfordoctors andnurses.

LADY DOCTORS: Twelve women house officers protested against `unethical visit`of Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Akhter Raza and Assistant Commissioner Ayub Bokhari to their hostel at the DHQ Teaching Hospital on July 1. Female house of ficers said both the officers had raided women doctors` hostels and violated their privacy.

According to reports, both the officers visited women hostels to select the doctors who could proceed to duty for medical cover on the visit of the chief minister to the coal power plant at Qadirabad on Monday. None of 12 femalehouse ofhcers appeared in the function at Sahiwal Coal-Fired Power Plant function as they had boycotted it in protest against the officers`visit.

The doctors submitted an application before SMC Principal Dr Zafar Tanveer, complaining that the act of the two of ficers was against rules, regulations and medical ethics. They claimed that none of the officers of the local administration could force them to move out for `medical cover` for any VVIP function. They said the officers` visit was made without permission of the principal or head of department, the authorities concerned.

Dr Shoaib of the YDA said an inquiry should be held into the matter. He said no administration of ficer could visit medical college hostel without informing the college authorities.