MINGORA: Calls were made to retain the original status of the Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital as the protest against the plan to convert the facility into a Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) continued on the third consecutive day on Wednesday.
The civil society members, doctors, nursing staff, and paramedical employees continued the protest.Protesters have set up a protest camp at the hospital’s main gate, where slogans are being chanted against the government.
Due to the protest, outpatient departments (OPDs) at the hospital remained closed, while all services except emergency care were suspended.As a result of a complete strike by doctors, nursing staff, and paramedical personnel, patients and their attendants faced severe difficulties.
A large number of patients were seen waiting outside the hospital for treatment.The protesters stated that the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital Swat is the only source of medical care for millions of poor patients, and converting it into an MTI is an anti-public decision.
They demanded that original status of the DHQ Hospital should be kept intact, adding a new and separate hospital should be constructed for this purpose if the government intends to implement the MTI system.The protesters warned that the agitation will be intensified and its scope expanded if the MTI decision was not withdrawn.
Meanwhile, in a gesture of humanitarian concern, doctors examined patients at the protest camp to ensure that patients do not face excessive hardship due to the protest.President of the Traders’ Association, Malakand Division, Abdul Rahim, turned up at the protest and urged the government to retain the DHQ Hospital original status.
He termed that the MTI system introduction decision anti-public and that it would create serious difficulties for poor patients. The traders body chief made it clear that converting the existing DHQ Hospital into an MTI is unacceptable, as the hospital is the only support for the people.Former nazim of Saidu Sharif, Dr Khalid Mahmood Khalid said that MTI hospitals are a mockery of the public.
