Amritsar: Patients continue to bear the brunt at govt hospitals
Patients visiting the government hospitals continue to suffer as the Out Patient Department (OPD) services and elective surgeries remained suspended on the second day of the protest by the Punjab Civil Medical Services’ Association (PCMSA) here on Tuesday.
Raising slogans against the state government, the protesters also boycotted medical exams, meetings and other administrative assignments. Doctors stated that the protest would continue till the government restarts the assured career progression (ACP) scheme for the PCMS cadre.
Dr Sumitpal Singh, president, PCMS Association, Amritsar, said, “The doctors at all government hospitals are participating in this strike. Everyone is affected by the attitude of the government and we are in no mood to call off the strike before our dues are given to us.” Dr Singh said a meeting of the association with the finance minister is scheduled for Wednesday.
He said if the meeting did not yield any results, the association would extend the duration of the boycott of OPD services from three hours daily to whole day.
Association general secretary Madhur Poddar said, “The arrears of the Sixth Pay Commission are still pending. Doctors have no safety at hospitals and they are overburdened with work due to the shortage of doctors.” He said the association had been taking up all these matters with authorities concerned for a long time, but was forced to strike work. “Even now we had given an advance notice regarding the strike. If the government had taken it seriously and resolved our issues, there would have been no need for this protest,” he said.
While the patients waited for the doctors to return to their chambers, the PCMS Association used the opportunity to mobilize public support in their favour by informing them about the issue and the indifference attitude of the government. The doctors stated that the present protest is symbolic so that they can attend to all the patients after 11 am and nobody has to return disappointed.
