Doctors on deputation in Islamabad served notices

Health ministry seeks clarification on their promotions

ISLAMABAD:

The federal health ministry has issued a show-cause notice to over two dozen doctors who are working on deputation in the federal but have been promoted in violation of the apex court’s orders.

All these doctors, from different provinces, are currently deployed in hospitals operated by the federal government.

Of these, 21 doctors are currently working at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), while the remaining five are serving at the Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital (PCH).

The officials who have been sent notices include the former EDO of Pims Dr Amjad, who is a basic pay scale (BPS) grade-21 official, and BPS-20 Pims Joint Executive Director Dr Aijaz Qadeer.

The health ministry, through its secretary, on Saturday issued the notices to these doctors.

They have been directed to appear on August 7 before a committee which has been set up by the health ministry to clarify allegations of irregularities in their promotion.

The circular, read by The Express Tribune, said that all these doctors had been deployed at healthcare facilities operated by the federal government in Islamabad for a brief period. However, they have now been absorbed in their respective hospitals and now, they have been promoted as well.

The show-cause notice cited that their absorption and promotion in such a manner was a violation of the orders of the Supreme Court (SC).

The ministry explicitly directed the medics to satisfy, within two weeks, why they shouldn’t be demoted or sent back to their respective provinces.

Promotion committee will review the cases of doctors of grade 17 and above and nurses and other paramedical staff who were not promoted in the meeting held earlier in October.

Last year, the federal health ministry had called at least two meetings of the departmental promotion committee. In one meeting, of the 80 names presented, the body accorded its approval to only 38 with deputationists completely ignored, choosing instead to extend the promotions to those who had been recruited through the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC).

Some 40 doctors, regularised on ex-PM Yousuf Raza Gillani’s orders after recommendations from Khursheed Shah’s Committee along with other two posted in the hospital from other provinces on deputation had been completely ignored in the process.

Earlier, the management of Pims had decided to enhance the honorarium given to post-graduate and trainee doctors from Rs73,000 to Rs104,390 and from Rs40,000 to Rs69,600 respectively.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2020.