Struggle bears fruit: Submitting to the might of doctors

PM announces the much-awaited package for young doctors.


Express May 04, 2011

ISLAMABAD:


Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Thursday notified a new career structure for health professionals. The package has been approved after the endorsement by the Pay and Pension Committee.


According to a notification, the new structure has been delinked from the Basic Pay Scale (BPS) and all the existing staff has been given the option to join the new structure or remain with the existing basic pay scales. All fresh recruitments and hiring will, however, be made as per the new service structure.

Furthermore, necessary amendment in the law will soon be made to regularise the contractual medical officers, the notification said.

An exclusive career structure coupled with an independent pay scale for health personnel serving in public sector will enable them to have better prospects for career progression, according to the official statement.

The agitation arose

Last month in order to press for acceptance of their demands, for new service structure and raise in salary, doctors held protest rallies followed by agitations including strikes all across the country.

Taking note of this situation, Federal Health Secretary Nargis Sethi held negotiations with the representatives of the doctors. The dialogue yielded fruit and the doctors called off their strike. In response the government worked towards accepting their genuine demands in line with the recommendations of the National Commission on Health.

Package goes into works

A summary was moved to the Prime Minister with the recommendation of devising a new career structure for health personnel and later announced in the National Assembly recognising the services of such professionals.

A committee, headed by the health secretary, was established under the directives of the Prime Minister with representatives from finance and the establishment division as its members to work out the details of the structure within 15 days.

After meetings and deliberation a proposal was drafted, which was then discussed with and approved by the establishment, finance and law divisions.

PIMS’ yes, Polyclinic’s no

Talking to The Express Tribune, Dr Muhammad Sajid, President Young Doctors Association (YDA), Islamabad chapter said, “We wholeheartedly welcome this package which exceeds our expectations.”

He said the package will be an example for the provinces to follow while considering the issues of young doctors.

Meanwhile, Dr Muhammad Ajmal, Chairman, YDA Polyclinic, expressed his dissatisfaction over the package and said there are many things which were not clearly mentioned or were missing in the package.

“There is no mention of pension, housing time scale; promotion procedure is not clearly defined; no increase has been made in the vacancies for postgraduate trainees and house officers,” he said.

Dr Ajmal urged the government to include representatives from Polyclinic in the committee to alley their concerns.

Responding to a question, Dr Ajmal said it seems that YDA PIMS chapter is not much aware of various terms and are ignoring things which were demanded by all of us.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4th, 2011.

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