Successful negotiations: JPMC, NICH workers to get health allowances

Deputation allowances, permanent contracts were other demands.

KARACHI: The negotiations between the employees of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and National Institute of Health Child (NICH) were partially successful on Monday as the Sindh government decided to grant them health allowance.

The health department officials assured the workers' delegation that their issues would be resolved within a week. The meeting was convened by health minister Jam Mahatab Hussain Dahar and was attended by health secretary Iftikhar Shalwani, special secretary Khalid Hussain Shaikh and others at the Sindh Secretariat.

The employees of both the hospitals had demanded the provincial authorities grant them health allowances, deputation allowances and to regularise 104 employees of JPMC's neurosurgery ward. "The most important issue of health allowances has been resolved in the meeting," said Zaryab Tiwana, the leader of the joint action committee of JPMC and NICH.

On Wednesday, the employees had warned that the out-patient departments (OPDs) of both the hospitals would be shut if their demands were not met. Sources said that the management of these hospitals contacted the health minister to resolve the issue. If the workers had shut down the OPDs for an indefinite perios, the situation could become critical, they said.

Sources informed that Dahar contacted the action committee on Saturday and asked them not to shut down OPDs before a round of meeting. The meeting lasted nearly two hours after which their major grievances were alleviated.

"The deputation allowance issue cannot be addressed now as the matter is in court," said Abdul Wahid Rind, a JPMC employee. "But, we are happy that the government addressed at least one of the most important issues," he added.

It was also learnt that the health officials have asked the employees' leaders to give them two days before they can discuss the regularisation of 104 neurosurgery workers. The special secretary will visit JPMC today and formally announce the health allowance, Tiwana disclosed.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2015.