LAHORE - The Young Nurses Association staged a sit in outside the Punjab Assembly yesterday to press for the demand of service structure and health professional allowance (HPA).
Their protest continued till late night as negotiations with Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Kh Salman Rafiq and the government officials remained inconclusive.
Carrying placards and banners inscribed with their demands, nurses chanted slogans against the government. The sit-in caused worst traffic mess in the heart of Lahore. Not only motorists but also the people trying to reach Sir Ganga Ram Hospital suffered greatly due to the nurses’ protest. Even ambulances were seen stuck on The Mall.
The protesting nurses paid no heed to hue and cry of a female patient in an ambulance. The situation led to unpleasant incident of exchange of harsh words between the attendants and protestors.
Nurses stayed away from duty, hampering service delivery at major hospitals in Lahore. The strike caused cancellation of hundreds of scheduled and emergency surgeries besides denying indoor patients the facility of clinical tests. The YNA has announced to continue strike at hospitals and sit in outside the PA till acceptance of all demands. Their leaders held the health bureaucracy responsible for the protest on The Mall.
YNA President Rozeena Manzoor said that HPA of merely Rs1,500 was not enough for nurses who perform a hectic job for several hours. She demanded HPA on the pattern of doctors. She announced to continue sit-in till acceptance of all demands.