LAHORE: Monday turned out to be a `bad day` for patients at the state-run hospitals in Lahore as only emergency care was provided to them due to a complete strike by the paramedics.

The protesting paramedics closed operation theatres, diagnostic rooms and outdoor departments of all teaching and district hospitals of the provincial capital to lodge a strong protest against the government for not accepting their demands regarding provision of service structure and regularization of contractemployees.

The situation was more alarming at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology where over 2,000 patients visited daily at its dispensary to get free medicines and 3,000 at the outdoor department.

Not a single patient could get treatment or medicines, raising a serious question on the performance of admin officials who failed to make alternate arrangements.

All major and minor surgeries were postponed at the state-run health facilities which wore a deserted look after the paramedics, allied staff and other employees went on a strike.

The gravity of the situation couldbe gauged from the fact that over 8,000 patients returned without treatment alone from the Mayo Hospital. Of them 5,000 or so visited daily at the OPD while many others came to avail themselves of diagnostic facilities.

The turnout of patients at the Accident & Emergency Department of the Mayo Hospital also dropped considerably because most of paramedics and other employees stopped their work to join protesting colleagues on the roads.

One of the major areas of concern was the cleanliness of hospitals in the absence of all employees, including sanitary inspectors,of the sanitary department.

Meanwhile, scores of paramedics staged a sit-in at the main signal outside the Punjab Institute of Cardiology on Jail Road, blocking the trafhe thereforaboutanhour.

Many ambulances also remained stuck in the traffic mess while the protest of paramedics also affected traffic on adjoining roads, including the Canal Road and Shadman.

Punjab Paramedics Alliance (PPA) chairman Malik Munir strongly criticized the government saying that no-one from them came to hold dialogues with them.

He said the paramedics would continue agitation on Tuesday (today).