Nursing staff on strike in National Institute of Child Health Karachi

KARACHI: Nursing staff in the biggest city of Pakistan are observing a strike and have refused to work till their demands are met, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

According to details, Work has been facing delays and stoppage in the National Institute of Child Health; people have also been barred from entering the emergency rooms.

The nursing staff is protesting in favor of a 4 grade promotion formula and notification delays in the regard.

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The federal government on July 6 had decided to hand over the control of three major hospitals of Karachi back to Sindh government.

The decision by the centre said that they are unable to run the administrative control of National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and National Institute of Child Health (NICH) in Karachi due to the financial crisis.

Earlier in May, the Ministry of National Health has issued a notification to take administrative control of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and National Institute of Child Health (NICH) in Karachi.

All administrative matters of these hospitals including services of employees and assets have been transferred to the central government, sources further said.

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The Supreme Court of Pakistan in its judgment had handed over the control of the three major public sector hospitals – NICVD, JPMC and NICH – back to the federal government.

The court had given 90 days to provincial and federal governments for a smooth transition of the hospital’s control.

The deadline given by the court was ended by the mid of April.

The federal cabinet in a session had approved transfer of the administrative control of these hospitals to the centre.

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The Sindh government had filed a review petition in the Supreme Court, seeking the reversal of the court’s verdict and permission for it to run the hospitals.

The provincial government and the health institutions had approached the court with a claim that since the subject of health had been devolved to the provinces under the 18th Amendment, the management of the JPMC, NICVD and NICH also vested with the Sindh government.

The apex court had rejected the Sindh government’s plea in January this year.