‘Outsider’ appointment creates crisis

Non-service cadre officials appointed as administrator and deputy much to the dismay of service cadre officials

RAWALPINDI: Work at the Cantonment Hospital has come to a standstill after its board apparently appointed two non-service cadre officials as its administrator and deputy administrator on hefty salaries, much to the chagrin of service-cadre officials working at the facility.

The move comes at a time when the hospital is undergoing renovations after the government provided the hospital with a grant of Rs0.73 billion.



The hospital’s board had appointed Brigadier (retired) Junaid Khan as the administrator and Brig (retired) Qamar Ali Zaidi as the deputy administrator of the hospital. They were hired at hefty salaries of Rs150,000 and Rs100,000 respectively.

After the new appointments, officers in the service cadre including the hospital’s Medical Superintendent (MS), deputy MS and other staff have virtually stopped working, having been deemed ineffective.

The practice of appointing non-service cadre officials in the hospital has proven to be unpopular in the past.

Previously, MLC regional director had declared such an appointment as unjust and against the established rules and regulations.

Upgrades at the health facility include the appointment of over 170 officers, including 16 in the administrative cadre. The new appointments are being made to fill the slots of specialist doctors, medical officers, paramedics and technicians.

Work on revamping the hospital building has been completed at a cost of Rs0.16 billion. An additional, Rs0.57 billion is being allocated for medical equipment and transport vehicles.

The hospital authorities are currently finalising contracts for acquiring medical equipment and vehicles.

The federal government has also approved an additional annual grant of Rs115 million which will be released over the next five years.



The hospital was established in 1980 with space for housing 500 beds. However, maladministration and a shortage of funds restricted the functioning of the hospital to only 180 beds.

After the upgrade, authorities claim, the hospital will function at full capacity.

Apart from a 100 per cent increase in facilities and services, the hospital will also be functioning as a teaching and practising facility for the Raheel Sharif Medical and Dental College.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2018.