KARACHI: The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) employees on Wednesday ended their three-day strike, which caused great suffering to needy patients, after successful negotiations with the Sindh government regarding their Covid health risk allowance.
According to details, the Sindh health department has agreed over releasing health risk allowance and professional health allowance of Grade 1-7 health workers that had been withheld for the past year.
The government also agreed over regularizing contractual NICVD employees after approval from governing body. The government will also release pending two months’ dues.
Out Patient Department (OPD) services at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) remained suspended for three days in Karachi following a protest from the staffers for the approval of their demands.
Thousands of cardiac patients have to return from the OPD section of the NICVD without getting treatment after the employees refused to end their strike.
The NICVD employees had been claiming that rather than being provided with a COVID allowance of serving during the pandemic, their salaries for December have been released after deduction without giving any explanation of it.
They demanded the administration to reverse the deduction and threatened to continue boycott of the OPD services until their demands are met.
In December 2021, the staff of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) boycotted the hospital services and observed a strike in favour of their demands. -Agencies
