ANP govt criticized for stalled health delivery

The Awami National Party-led provincial government has been under tremendous criticism from the masses for failing to resume the health services suspended for the past 10 days due to continuous strike by the doctors across the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The doctors continued the strike for 10th consecutive day on Saturday, which paralysed the health delivery in major hospitals of the province, particularly in Peshawar where doors of the three tertiary care hospitals Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), and Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) had been closed for the patients for the past couple of days.

Hundreds of poor patients and their hapless attendants, after sensing that there was no hope for end to strike by the doctors had started leaving hospitals for homes.

Most of the wards, laboratories and operation theatres in the three teaching hospitals in Peshawar have been wearing a deserted look by persistent strike by the doctors.

The doctors want increase in salaries and went on a strike on the call of Provincial Doctors Association (PDA), representative body of the serving doctors. The provincial government has not been able to take note of patients suffering caused by doctors strike.

Majority of the patients and their exhausted attendants criticised the ANP-led government for the miseries they were facing at the public sector hospitals. Instead of strengthening these so-called hospitals, the ANP government closed its doors for the poor patients and left them at the mercy of doctors to suffer, a disappointed attendant, Ikhtiar Gul, who had taken his ailing brother to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), remarked.

Some senior doctors affiliated with the Pakistan People s Party were making individual efforts to bring the protesting doctors and the government to the negotiating table, but in vain.

The PDA, on the other hand, has vowed to continue strike till acceptance of their lone demand, raise in salaries.

The authorities at the LRH and KTH Saturday made some alternative arrangements for the patients coming to the two teaching hospitals.