D.I.KHAN:The nurses of Medical Teaching Hospital (MTI) Dera on Tuesday demonstrated a sit-in protest here at GPO Chowk against the alleged harassment of nursing staff by a Nursing Director.
The protesting nurses closed the road for all types of the traffic and demanded the immediate removal of the Nursing Director and an inquiry to be held for probing the matter.
The protesting nurses alleged that the Nursing Director was a Grade-16 officer but he has been illegally appointed at the Grade-18 post on nepotism basis.
They alleged that the nursing staff were being harassed by the nursing director and complaints were also made to the MTI authorities in this regard. The authorities concerned did not pay any heed to their complaints which forced them to lodge protest, the protestors added.
On this occasion, the Cantt Police led by SHO Gul Sher held talks with the protesting nurses after which the nurses temporarily ended the protest on the assurance of consideration and implementation of the demands by the administration.
The protesting nurses threatened to expand the protest at provincial level, if their demands including the removal of the nursing director were not fulfilled.
The sources in health office confirmed that the nursing director had some behavioral issues and some 85 nurses of the MTI had registered their complaints in written with Board of Governors (BoG).
The BoG did not take any action against the said director but relieved some three nurses to the District Health Office which lead the matter to protest on roads.
The director did not meet the required criteria of his post as he had less experience than the required seven years experience for the post.
When contacted, Hospital Director Dr Farukh Jameel, who was in Peshawar for an official meeting, told APP telephonically that the administration would try to resolve the matter amicably by listening to the both parties.
Replying to a question about the allegation that whether the nursing director was working on a higher post than his grade in MTI, Dr Farukh clarified that said MTI had no grade system.