No salaries, drug shortages, harassment: Karachi doctors’ protest lays bare Pakistan’s deepening healthcare crisis
Pakistan’s public healthcare system is facing fresh scrutiny after house officers at Karachi’s Abbasi Shaheed Hospital intensified their protest over unpaid stipends, inadequate security and shortages of essential medicines, warning that outpatient department (OPD) services could be suspended if their demands remain unaddressed.According to Express Tribune, the protest entered its sixth consecutive day, with house officers carrying placards and banners while raising slogans in support of their demands. Despite the agitation, the protesting doctors said they had continued providing medical services to ensure patients were not deprived of essential healthcare.The doctors alleged that they have not received their salaries for the past three months and said the agreed monthly stipend of PKR 45,000 also remains unpaid. They questioned why house officers at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital were allegedly being denied full stipends while doctors performing similar duties at other public hospitals continued to receive regular payments, describing the disparity as discriminatory and calling for immediate intervention by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).Beyond unpaid dues, the house officers raised concerns over security inside the hospital. According to ANI, they said that following accidents or patient deaths, large groups of attendants frequently enter hospital premises, placing pressure on medical staff and attempting to influence treatment decisions.The protesters also alleged that incidents of harassment and misconduct against healthcare workers have become increasingly frequent, while adequate security arrangements have not been introduced to protect medical personnel.The doctors further highlighted an acute shortage of essential medicines at the hospital, saying the lack of basic drugs was affecting patient care and increasing pressure on healthcare workers. They warned that unless the KMC addresses their demands without further delay, the protest would be escalated through the suspension of OPD services and a broader agitation.
