ISLAMABAD: The protest by employees of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) continued on the fourth day.

More than 30,000 patients have been turned back and some 600 operations were postponed due to the protest. A meeting between the protesters and the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) minister could not be held as the delegation of employees was late in getting to the ministry.

It was decided that the delegation and the CADD minister will go to the law ministry on Friday in order to address the issue.

Pims employees have been protesting since Monday and are demanding that the hospital be separated from the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University.

CADD minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry met with the protestors on Wednesday and it was decided that a dialogue session will be held in the ministry Thursday at 11am.

However, the delegation got to the ministry at 12:30 and was informed that the minister had left for the National Assembly session.

`In the meeting with Law Minister Zahid Hamid on Friday, we will stress that our issue be addressed through a presidentialordinance.

`The other option is that the bill tabled in 2014 by MNA retired Major Tahir Iqbal for the separation of the hospital from the university should be sent to the prime minister and after his approval, it shouldbe tabled in parliament,` said Dr Asfandyar Khan, spokesperson for the Pims Employees Association.

He said the strike will not be called off till the employees are assured this long standing issue will be addressed.

`On Thursday, we met with some senior professors who opted for a university job and surrendered their civil service.

They said they did not know the hospital and its assets will become property of the university. Now, they will not be paid pensions, will not be allotted government plots or accommodations,` he said.

Dr Khan added that the employees were considering other steps as well such as locking the vice chancellors secretariat because they think the university should be moved out of the hospital premises.

During the PPP government, parliament passed the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad Bill 2013 amid criticism and protest by the then opposition, PML-N and Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

The bill was moved by the then minister for CADD Nazar Mohammad Gondal.

Under the bill, Pims was upgraded to a medical university and was empowered to confer degrees, diplomas, certificates and other academic distinctions.

However, the then welfare hospital was affiliated with the university`s hospital and the status of its employees, who were civil servants, was gradually changed and they have been offered to become employees of the university. A Reporter