PESHAWAR (Kashif Aziz): Trainee Medical Officers (TMOs) at Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) staged a protest on Monday against the non-provision of hostel accommodation, accusing the hospital administration of discriminatory treatment and demanding immediate intervention from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister.
The protesting doctors said they work around the clock in emergency units, hospital wards and intensive care units (ICUs), yet no residential facility is available to them after duty hours.
According to the doctors, male trainee medical officers have not been allotted hostel rooms for the past two years, despite accommodation being provided to other officers and staff members. They claimed that vacant hostel rooms are available but are not being allocated to eligible trainees.
The protesters said the lack of official accommodation has forced many trainee doctors to rent rooms in old and insecure buildings near the hospital, exposing them to safety and security risks.
During the demonstration, the trainee doctors placed their beds outside the hospital to symbolize their accommodation crisis. They questioned why they were being denied what they described as a basic entitlement despite providing essential healthcare services.
The doctors maintained that residential accommodation is part of the terms of their employment contracts, but the hospital administration has failed to fulfill this obligation.
They announced that they would continue their protest and stage another demonstration outside the Hospital Director (HD) to seek an explanation for the delay in hostel allotments.
The protesting doctors also appealed to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to take immediate notice of the issue. They said the chief minister had assured doctors during a recent visit to Lady Reading Hospital that accommodation would be provided to them, but instead, they alleged that trainee doctors were being removed from hostel rooms.
The doctors expressed hope that the provincial government would honor its commitment and ensure the immediate provision of hostel accommodation to affected trainee medical officers.
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