After a decade: 250 daily wage workers of AMTI get contracts

Interim AMTI board plugging key gaps in the hospital

ABBOTTABAD: Despite being at the helm of affairs for a relatively short period of just over six weeks, the interim board of the top medical teaching institution in Abbottabad has set about addressing key administrative issues, including confirmations for contract terms of employment for 250 daily-wage workers at the institution.

The move was announced in a recent statement from the Ayub Medical Teaching Institute (AMTI) which stated that employees rejoiced and celebrated after receiving the employment status which they had been waiting for almost a decade.

The statement quoted the AMTI’s Board of Governors Chairman Major-General (retired) Asif Ali Khan as saying that he was there to resolve the grievances of employees so that they could work with a peace of mind and deliver to their maximum capacity.

The statement added that delays in the promotion of administrative cadre doctors had led to a sense of dissatisfaction amongst them, demotivating them. It added that the previous administration of the AMTI had failed to provide doctors with their legal rights and have been involved in procrastination, delaying the upgrades for years.

The new board of governors looked into the matter and promoted around 60 doctors under the four-tier formula immediately after fulfilling all codal and legal formalities.

Various posts of the health department have also been upgraded under the four-tier formula at a ratio of 1:15:34:50 for basic pay scale (BPS) grades-20,19,18 and 17 respectively. Senior doctors at the facility have told the media that the promotions were their right, which should have been provided to them without even asking for it. After a hard fight, they had finally received it.

Maj-Gen (retd) Professor Dr Asif has also initiated the Bahria Dasktrkawan last year which served the hygienic food to around 1,500 patients of the hospital three times a day, free of cost.

So far, food has been served to more than 400,000 patients. Now, the board has upgraded their capacity so that they can extend the facility to an additional 1,500 people. The facility will now cover free meals for poor students of the medical college and employees of class four.

Moreover, the much-needed development, renovation and up gradation work in all the wards, operation theatres, bathrooms and visiting areas has also been welcomed. Renovation of the hostels, construction of boundary walls in and around the hostels, construction of parking areas for the patients and staff members, improvement of the roads conditions with the construction of footpaths are also included in the planned work.

The board has further directed that renovation of the operation theatres should be done on priority.

Professor Aftab Rabbani told media that “Modern Modular Operation Theatres are under construction which will bring a modern touch to our surgical practice. This will not only provide the infection-free atmosphere but also solve the problem of the long-awaited list of OTS”.

Provision of space for a thoracic ward and allied facilities are also under consideration.

The AMTI’s board has also directed to improve the landscape of Ayub Medical College (AMC), clear choked sewerage drains and modernises lecture theatres. More than 2,000 trees were also planted in AMC on Independence Day.

The administration is also working on expanding the 450 bed Mother and Child Health Care Centre and turn it into a modern centre.

“The hospital’s board has issued instructions to all concerned for the development of sub-specialities in the gynaecology and obstetrics department,” said AMTI Media Manager Amber Javed. To address security issues, newborns will be tagged as per international protocols. Moreover, 10 female security guards shall be hired specifically for MCHC, and a wireless system with a base station and CCTV Cameras will be installed.

 

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