KARACHI: Expressing dismay over continued strike at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Wednesday asked the provincial health ministry, chief law officer and concerned lawyers to get the court`s decision regarding a petition filed by the employees of the JPMC challenging its devolution to the Sindh government under the 18th constitutional amendment at the earliest.

`I eagerly want to resolve the matters of this big and important hospital and its employees to ensure uninterrupted health facilities to people, once jurisdiction of the authority is decided which has been challenged in the court,` said Mr Shah, while presiding over a meeting held at CM House.

Health minister Jam Mehtab Dahar, chief secretary Mohammad Siddique Memon, principal secretary to CM Alamuddin Bullo, secretary health Saeed Ahmed Mangnejo, and the JPMC`s executive director were among the officers who attended the meeting.`Since we are not sure whether the institution is within our jurisdiction, how can we decide the future of JPMC or its employees,` Mr Shah was quoted as saying by a government spokesman. He added that `even we have passed the law but it is pending because of the petition while after the 18th amendment there is no infrastructure with the federal government to retain this.

CM Shah said his government was ready and it had worked out a plan to protect the interests of the employees.

He added that all apprehensions of the JPMC employees would be resolved befittingly with due legal cover and assurances.

`Ironically,` he said, `on the one hand doctors and paramedics have challenged the authority of the Sindh government in the court and are not accepting our jurisdiction, on the other they are demanding perks and privileges from the Sindh government.

He was surprised at the fact that despite knowing that neither the federal nor the Sindh government was in a position to decide the future of JPMC and its employees because of litigation,doctors and paramedics had gone on strike and were punishing the patients.

He termed it a deplorable situation and added that his government was ready to solve all the problems afflicting the JPMC but this could only be done when the jurisdiction of the Sindh government about JPMC`s control was decided and accepted by the court.

Expressing his satisfaction over the assurances of JPMC executive director Dr Anis Bhatti that key petitioners had agreed to withdraw their petition, Mr Shah asked them to submit affidavits through their lawyers showing their consent with the court to decide the issue once andfor all.

Mr Shah expressed his dismay over the hardships being faced by patients due to the boycott by paramedics and doctors at the JPMC.

Thoughdoctorscalledofftheirstrike on Tuesday, paramedics continued to boycott the outpatient departments (OPD) and wards, virtually halting those services and offering no respite to the patients who continued to return unattended on the third day running.

Officials said at least 5,000 patients visited the OPD every day.