By Ashrafuddin Pirzada
LANDIKOTAL: Paramedics at the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Landikotal launched a protest on Monday to record their protest against the Medical Superintendent (MS), Deputy MS (DMS), and clerical staff, accusing them of widespread corruption, bribery, and mismanagement.
Health staff, local elders, elected representatives, and social workers attended the protest camp set up in the hospital premises. Banners inscribed with demands for action against the unfolding corruption and irregularities in the hospital were also hung on the walls of the camp.
Led by the president of the Pakistan Paramedical Staff Association, Landikotal chapter president Abdul Wali Khan Afridi, 1the protesters claimed that hospital funds were embezzled, duty postings were sold for bribes and government accommodations were misused.
Afridi alleged that a female representative of a local NGO had been illegally allowed to stay in staff quarters, while funds from the Health Management Committee (HMC) were withdrawn without member approval.
He said the hospital’s emergency department was under severe strain, with the number of doctors per shift reduced from eight to just two. Allegedly, staff were appointed based on payments rather than merit, he said.
He said cleanliness, pathology and laboratory departments have also been suffering under the current administration. Afridi said ghost employees remain on the payroll, and deductions were made from the salaries of doctors and paramedics hired under the Accelerated Implementation Program (AIP).
The paramedics accused hospital officials of demanding bribes for issuing No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and ignoring long-standing issues such as the restoration of the dental block’s share.
Tehsil chairman Shah Khalid Shinwari’s efforts to mediate between the administration and protesting staff have so far failed as several rounds of talks have been held between the two, but to no avail. Afridi announced that the protest would continue until their demands are met.
Wali Khan Afridi, who also heads the Khyber district paramedics body, emphasized the urgent need for a permanent MS. He noted that the current MS holds dual responsibilities for both Landikotal and Jamrud hospitals, making effective oversight difficult.
Social worker Akhtar Ali Shinwari backed the protestors, warning that the lack of specialist doctors has allowed unqualified individuals to exploit the system, putting patients’ lives at risk.
A hospital staff member said the situation was much better under former MS Jamshid Saeed Sherani, who maintained strict discipline.
Provincial Minister Adnan Qadri has vowed to raise the issue with health authorities and seek swift action to improve services.
