Govt decision to abolish allowance draws ire of doctors

Peoples Doctors Forum says health dept created unrest amongst the faculty

ABBOTTABAD: The decision of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa govt to abolish the health professional allowance to the faculty of public sector medical colleges in the province has drawn the ire of the Peoples Doctors Forum (PDF)

PDF in an emergency meeting held on Tuesday chaired by its provincial chief Dr Nisar Khan and attended by its members discussed at length the hasty decision of the provincial health department in which it was decided that public sector medical colleges in the province may be given a choice as which of the two allowances they want to opt for them, health professional allowance or basic science and teaching allowance.

PDF Secretary General and Spokesman Dr Daud Iqbal told the media that the notification issued by provincial health department in this regard has created unrest amongst the faculty members of Ayub Medical College Abbottabad  as well as other public sector medical colleges of Khyber Pakhtunkwa. He said that PDF stands with the doctors community and will support Provincial Doctors Association (PDA) and other forums for the just cause of the doctors  and will not accept the decision. He shared the copy of the notification issued by health department of Khyber Pakhtunkwa  and later circulated by  the dean Ayub Medical College Abbottabad in which faculty members of basic sciences departments were asked to opt either for basic sciences allowance or health professional allowance. Faculty members were directed to submit their option  before 7th February 2019 for onward submission to concerned quarter.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th, 2019.