Pakistan

Doctors strikes: Loopholes in the service structure warrant protest

Doctors have mixed sentiments regarding the propositions to their demands.

Express May 06, 2011

ISLAMABAD:

Showing dissatisfaction over the services structure proposed by the prime minister, the young doctors of Islamabad have planned to go on another strike on May 9. This decision was taken by the Young Doctors Association (YDA) during a meeting held on Thursday.

Through a conference call, they were joined by the representatives of Polyclinic Hospital, National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine and YDA representative from Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Federal Hospital Quetta, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, and Sheikh Zayed Hospital Lahore.

However, no one from Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) participated in the meeting. The young doctors representatives of these hospitals, while expressing serious reservations over the flaws in the newly proposed service structure, gave an ultimatum to the Ministry of Health to correct them by May 8, otherwise they would go on complete strike.

All the Outpatient Departments (OPD) and indoor departments (IPD) will be closed down. Only emergency wards and intensive care units will be functional.

They demanded for a representation of doctors in the committee, constituted for making service structures, as the committee members lack knowledge about the requisites of the structures.

Talking to the Express Tribune, Young Doctors Association (YDA) Polyclinic Chairperson, Dr Muhammad Ajmal said the proposed service structures do not define many things clearly.

Sharing the details, he said there is no mention of regularisation of contract doctors, which was among one of the main demands made by the YDA. Similarly, pension, housing and job protection have not been addressed.

The Ministry of Health has not increased the number of vacancies for postgraduate trainees and house officers as promised. T

here is no mention of Time Scale Promotion, which is the backbone of service structures according to which the doctors would get two-step promotions automatically after a year or so.

He said the ministry has given an option to the doctors to decide within 90 days whether they want to take Special Pay Scale (SPS) or Basic Pay Scale (BPS); those who opt for BPS would not get any incentives.

Meanwhile, YDA Pims expressed their complete satisfaction over the proposed service structure and said soon they will be celebrating it as their biggest victory.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 6^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (4)

Baboo Dr | 12 years ago | Reply The people of Pakistan want doctors at their service round the clock and this is their definition of 'humanity;! They are least bothered about the doctors problem. They don't know that doctors even do not get a single next step promotion in 18 to 20 years. BiGG BiGG hospitals are constructed without building a single room or flat for the serving doctors. the doctors are then forced like sheeps into the rooms built by the contractors to accomodate the construction workers of that particular hospital. Doctors are forced to work without pay for more than 72 hours a week without providing any facility. In the civil service the highly qualified personnel, even computer operators are granted extra increments but the the doctors having highest qualifications are denied this right. People don't know the doctors' problems; they only are bothered about their own problems and need doctors at their service at all cost. The doctors should not expect friends and should persist with their struggle. Denying the due rights to doctors is the major cause of financial, moral and ethical corruption in this profession. If the government and the people want an end to this: they have to give due rights to the doctors.

Harris | 12 years ago | Reply @Ross Gellar: Do you have a better proposition to solve the issues instead of branding everybody with hell-fire?

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