Doctors reject policy of recruitment on daily wages

As per Supreme Court ruling, medics should be employed on permanent basis, says PDA

PESHAWAR:

The Provincial Doctors Association (PDA) has strongly protested against the decision of the Bannu Board of Governors to recruit medical officers on a daily-wage basis, terming the move a conspiracy to put the future of doctors at stake. In its statement, PDA complained against non-provision of compensation package to the families of the doctors and other health workers who had lost their lives in the pandemic.

They said that owing to the indifferent attitude of the authorities, the doctors are advised not to waste their time seeking daily wage employment. They questioned as to why no Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) has hired a single manager or director on a daily-wage basis.

The association criticized that instead of acknowledging the hard work of doctors, the government was humiliating them by trying to recruit them on a daily-wage.

The PDA called for acknowledging of the rigorous education procedures and services rendered by doctors and maintained that that the sacrifices made by doctors should not go in vain. They warned the government to refrain from such policies in MTI hospitals which may lead to protests by the doctors’ community. The PDA further said that the government is already facing a problem of shortage of doctors in Covid emergency but recruiting doctors on a daily wage basis was not the remedy.

So far, 67 doctors have been killed while fighting on the front line against coronavirus in the province, the PDA maintained.

The PDA also referred to the order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan as per which all the provinces and the center must appoint doctors and paramedics on a permanent basis. The provincial government and the Board of Governors (BoG) should advertise all these posts on a permanent basis, the PDA demanded.

The Association has demanded that the provincial government issues advertisements for recruitment of medical officers, dental surgeons and district specialists on regular basis through the Public Service Commission to overcome the shortage of doctors in the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2021.