Non-medical staff continues protest

Non-medical staff demands equal rights and an end to discrimination in promotion.

ISLAMABAD:

The non-medical staff of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) continued their strike on Wednesday, demanding the removal of Joint Executive Dr Jehanzeb Aurakzai.

Non-Medical Health Employees Association spokesperson Manzar Abbas Naqvi, told The Express Tribune that they were protesting against the new Health Personnel Pay Scales (HPS 1 to 13) scheme under the Career Structure for Health Personnel since April 13.

Under the new career structure doctors, specialists, pharmacists, nurses, paramedics and support service workers serving in several federal health institutions and other organizations have been given promotions.  However, non-medical workers were not given any promotions. “This is a discrimination against non-medical staff as they play an equal role in providing health services,” he added.

He further said the staff members had approached various government officials but none of them gave a positive response. “We have taken our plea to the minister and state minister for health, parliamentary panels on health, secretary health and members of National Assembly from the capital. However, they did not give satisfactory response,” he remarked.

He also said that non-medical staff initially had the support of doctors, paramedics and nurses, “but after their promotions they stopped supporting us and we did not force them stay with us,” he commented.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2011.