BANNU: Doctors and paramedics of women and children hospital, Bannu, on Wednesday boycotted duty to protest ‘hooliganism’ of attendants of a patient inside the health facility.

The protesters wearing black armbands gathered outside the hospital to demand security to doctors and paramedics.

On the occasion, Dr Ayub Nawaz Khan and Dr Mehtab said they would extend the protest movement to other hospitals, including Khaleefa Gul Nawaz Hospital and district headquarters hospital, if the government did not resolve issues facing the health professionals.

They said the attendants of a patient, whose newborn had died in the hospital on Monday, resorted to unruly behaviour with the doctors, which was intolerable.

They said the patient care was the prime duty of the health professionals but the doctors and paramedics were not bound to take care of the attendants as well.

“We pay utmost attention and take care of the patients, but as human beings we are also helpless, but it does not mean that the patients’ attendants should misbehave with the doctors or paramedics,” they said.

The protesting health professionals said most of the time women in labour pain were brought to the hospital when the case had become complicated.

In such a case, when anything untoward happens, the attendants turn on the doctors and paramedics and misbehave with them.

They said such attitude by the attendants of patients would not be tolerated in future.