SC directs govt to introduce biometric attendance system at public hospitals

Orders completion of process for doctors who had not been given their due promotions for years

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) directed the Sindh government to introduce a biometric attendance system for the staff at public hospitals across the province.

The apex court also directed the government to complete the process of promotion of the doctors working in grade-18 and 19, including those in their own pay scale, who had not been given their due promotions for years.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Mushir Alam, was hearing an application filed by Dr Usman Mako against the non-promotion of the health department's doctors.



The bench also directed the health secretary to ensure that action was taken against those doctors and staff who were absent from their duties for a long time.

An applicant, Nisar Ali Shah, told the court that he had not been promoted despite his 20 years of service. He added that doctors junior than him were promoted.

The judges were told 15 out of 42 doctors, who were awaiting promotion to grade-20 for many years, had now retired. The applicants alleged that the court had directed the government to promote those doctors awaiting promotions three years ago, but the same has yet to be complied with.

The court was informed that more than 3,500 doctors performing their duties in the provincial health department were awaiting promotions, but the authorities were doing nothing in this regard.



The court was pleaded to direct the provincial chief secretary and health secretary to give due promotion to all the doctors, whose juniors had been promoted to senior ranks.

Earlier, in March, the court had directed the health secretary to submit a list of the doctors working in grade-18 and 19 with an explanation as to why they had not been promoted despite the lapse of many years.

The health secretary had informed the court that the departmental promotion committee had finalised some promotion cases and had sought a month's time to finalise the entire matter.

Therefore, the court had directed the chief secretary to ensure that the departmental promotion committee decided the promotion cases without further delay.



During Wednesday's proceedings, Advocate-General Barrister Zamir Ghumro informed the bench that two meetings of the departmental promotion committee had been conducted and final recommendations had been sent to the chief minister for approval.

He said that the process of verification of more than 5,000 doctors was still under way and will take time. Therefore, he requested the court allow more time to complete these processes.

The bench directed the provincial chief secretary and health secretary to introduce a biometric attendance system for the staff at public hospitals across the province. It further directed the health secretary to ensure action was taken against those doctors and staff who were absent from their duties for a long time.

Meanwhile, the judges told them to give due promotions to the doctors and submit a compliance report within two months.