Karachi: Flood emergency exposes unfair working conditions at private hospitals while the Government of Sindh announced a public holiday on Wednesday due to the ongoing flood emergency, some private hospitals, including Liaquat National Hospital (LNH), continued to compel their staff to remain on duty, disregarding the humanitarian crisis across Karachi.
One recent case highlights the plight of frontline healthcare workers:
A medical officer remained on duty at LNH from Tuesday morning continuously for over 27 hours when the government closure was announced. Despite being pregnant and a mother of a 3-year-old child at home without electricity, she was asked to continue working in Outpatient Services (OPD) instead of being granted relief.
Upon inquiry, the hospital administration stated that they “do not follow the Government of Sindh” and instead adhere to federal directives — raising questions about whether employees in such institutions are deprived of the protections given to other citizens in times of crisis.
This situation underscores a larger issue:
Do healthcare workers in private institutions not deserve the same relief and consideration as those in public hospitals?
Can long, unsafe duty hours, especially during disaster conditions be justified when employees themselves face personal emergencies?
Where is the balance between patient care and the basic rights, safety, and dignity of doctors and nurses? As Karachi struggles with unprecedented flood conditions, voices are rising to remind institutions that doctors are human beings too, not machines.
Their well-being, especially that of expectant mothers and parents with small children, must not be overlooked in the name of routine operations during a citywide emergency.
This incident calls for urgent attention from both provincial and federal health authorities to ensure that policies of compassion, safety, and fairness are applied uniformly across all healthcare setups, public or private.