KARACHI: A grand alliance of young doctors, nurses and paramedics on Wednesday announced to boycott Out-Patient Departments (OPDs) in government-run hospitals across the southern Sindh province, a step that is likely to further aggravate the ongoing health crisis related to the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

“Since the government didn’t pay any heed to our demands despite our three-day token boycott which ended today, we have decided to completely boycott the OPDs,” Dr. Mehboob Ali, convener of the alliance and general secretary of the Young Doctors’ Association (YDA), told Arab News, adding that doctors and paramedics would continue to perform duties in emergencies, emergency operation theaters and isolation centers for COVID-19 patients.

The young doctors and paramedics have been protesting against the non-provision of personal protective equipment (PPE), risk allowance, establishment of separate isolation wards for health workers infected by the novel virus and provision of proper security and salaries.

Ejaz Kaleri, a representative of paramedics, said that since the government had failed to fulfill the medical community’s just demands, the country’s officials were also responsible for any suffering that might result from the closure of OPDs.

“We are dying due to non-provision of protective gear. The relatives of patients are attacking us. But the government is not ready to protect us against the people and the virus,” Kaleri told Arab News, adding the next stage of protest strategy would be boycott of emergencies and COVID-19 isolation centers.

A spokesperson for the Sindh health department said that the health minister had directed the relevant authorities to meet YDA representatives and address their demands. However, no officials had contacted the association until the filing of this report.

Meanwhile, senior doctors and their representatives said they “fully supported” the alliance’s demands but a boycott at such a critical juncture was not right.

“We will never support any boycott since patients have not done anything wrong. We support the demands of the grand alliance but boycott is not the right way,” Dr. Qaiser Sajjad, general secretary of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), told Arab News

Dr. Azeem Siddiqui, a senior doctor and president of the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association, Karachi, echoed the same sentiment.

“We never supported and will not support any strike as we can never deny our patients their rights, especially at present. However, the concerns of the YDA and paramedics are genuine,” Siddiqui told Arab News, adding that the provision of PPE and recognition of services provided by doctors had not been satisfactory on the governmental level.

“Their demand for compensation of their services is also genuine. So, the government must seriously look into their demands and try to solve the issue as early as possible,” he said.

Siddiqui added that the health care system was already under a lot of pressure and it was becoming extremely difficult for patients to get a bed, especially in ICUs, at different medical facilities.

“Due to the difference in strategy between the province and the center … a second lockdown does not appear to be a serious possibility at this moment,” he continued when asked about the World Health Organization’s recommendation regarding an intermittent lockdown.

“What we need to do is enhance our existing facilities urgently,” Siddiqui suggested.