Nurses held a protest outside the Executive Director office. They chanted slogans against the ED and in the favour of their demands. They said that the management itself has received four basic Covid-19 allowances while depriving them even one.
The protesting nurses were of the view that they are neither being paid incentives as nurses nor Corona allowance, despite the fact that they are more exposed to the Covid-19. An unqualified dentist is sitting on the executive director post, they said. There are at least 19 doctors whom the court had identified as unqualified but they are still working on the posts, said Farazana Khan, a protesting nurse. “They beat us but don’t allow us to carry,” Khan says about the attitude of authorities, referring to earlier instances where protesting doctors were dispersed through police violence.
“In other hospitals, all staff have been given four basic allowances but in PIMS, healthcare workers working in the Covid-19 ward are awaiting the allowance. Meanwhile, the administration has received all four basic allowances,” said Shair Muhammad Hazara, another nurse.
Khalil Ahmed, information secretary PIMS Nursing Association, said they will continue their protest against unfair and discriminatory treatment of the hospital management, adding that if the management didn’t met their demands, they would go for long hours protesting from Monday next week.
Ahmed, while talking to Naya Daur, said that the hospital management suspended one of their nursing instructors when he inquired from staff in the accounts section about their having paid less to nurses than the proper amount. The hospital management, instead of taking action against the accountant, suspended the instructor. Later, to cover up their unjustified action, they suspended the accountant as well.
Dr Fazal Rabbi, president Young Doctors Association Islamabad, said that the government and the hospital management should take the nurses' problems seriously, based on their demands. He also added that they qualified for the Covid-19 allowance. He concluded that YDA supports nursing staff for their just demands and will continue its stance of solidarity by all possible means.