Islamabad-Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Employees Association on Monday staged a strike demanding immediate separation of hospital from the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University.
The strike led to closure of the Outdoor Patient Department (OPDs) and cancellation of schedule surgeries. Long queues were observed outside the main emergency while the pathology lab also remained dysfunctional.
The protestors threatened to shut down all services in case of non-implementation of their demands in 72 hours.
Around six hours strike in the region’s biggest public sector hospital multiplied miseries of large number of patients from the far-flung areas. Meanwhile, the association announced 24 hours strike today (Tuesday) in all departments against non-implementation of its demands.
Dozens of regular and contractual employees of PIMS, including medical and paramedical staff, gathered outside the administrative block and demanded separation of hospital from the SZABMU to secure their service structure.
The protestors were carrying banners demanding the government to pass the university separation amendment bill on emergency basis.
The employees also chanted slogans “PIMS privatisation is unacceptable”.
Talking to The Nation, Dr Waseem Khawaja said that PIMS separation bill from the university has been pending for the last four years and non-implementation on it has spread of send of job insecurity amongst the employees. “The OPDs and Operation Theaters (OTs) are closed and tickets for medical examination are also not being issued to patients, however emergency has not been disrupted today,” he said.
He also said that around four thousand PIMS employees are suffering because of uncertain future of the hospital. President Nursing Association Imam Din told The Nation that the Ministry of Capital Administration & Development Division (CADD) initiated the separation process but now disowns it.
“The employees have been given 42 days to register themselves with the university which will result in losing the status of civil servants,” he said.
The summary of separating PIMS from university was approved by the former Prime Minister but the legislation is being delayed deliberately, he added.
Nursing Head Juliana informed The Nation that all moveable and non-movable assets of PIMS have been shifted to the university. “Two managements running the PIMS are ruining its functions and increasing burden on employees,” she said. She said that at PIMS one nurse has to look 70 patients. “University administration has conditioned fulfilling of the staff shortage with its affiliation status,” she said.
Juliana said that the administration has been given 72 hours to implement the decision otherwise they will shut down all work in the hospital. Spokesperson CAAD Attique-ur-Rehman talking to The Nation said the university and hospital were combined through the act of the parliament and will be separated through the same procedure.
He said that process of the bill separating the hospital from university is under preparation.
“Former PM had principally approved the summary of separating both institutions and the legislation will be completed soon in this regard,” he said.