Trainee doctors go on strike for salaries

TMOs have not been paid in time for 4 months

PESHAWAR:

Trainee Medical Officers (TMOs) across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) have announced closure of elective services in all provincial hospitals against the non-payment of salaries.

Talking to The Express Tribune medical officers said that they will boycott all services in out-patient departments (OPDs) and operation theatres.

Official sources said that the K-P government was faced with a severe financial crisis and because of this TMOs could not be paid their monthly salaries.

“The finance department has said that they will pay the salaries till 18th of this month in talks with doctors associations,” said an official, adding that Rs200 million were required to pay the salaries.

“Around Rs500 million are required to pay the salaries and dues. That is why the finance department failed to release the amount in time,” he added.

Another official said that the finance department approved the release of this amount but due to lack of funds, the department was unable to do so.

“The Provincial Doctors Association and the Youth Forum of TMOs met the officials of the finance department as well as the officials of Post Graduate Medical Institute and College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan and informed them about their reservations too,” said a TMP on the condition of anonymity, adding that they assured that the funds will soon be released.

It may be mentioned here that the trainee doctors are not paid in time for the past four months due to lack of funds.

Most of the time salaries are released after 15.

“We are often paid after 15 of each month despite the fact that we have to pay the rent of the houses and fees of our children. Our entire routine is disturbed due to the non-payment of salaries in time,” he said.

Due to this situation TMOs have announced their boycott from duty from Monday.

On the other hand, doctors have said that their seniority has been badly hampered due to the abolition of 1,400 posts in medical teaching institutes (MTI) hospitals.

“Some posts have been replaced with other posts creating a shortage of doctors in these hospitals across the province,” observed a doctor, adding that doctors association have demanded of the government to reverse the decision taken by the previous PTI government.

“Boards of governors took these decisions and it is unfortunate that director general health and hospital administrations are silent on these illegal and irrational steps,” he said, adding that the patients’ load was going up each year and the number of posts and doctors should be increased in all MTI hospitals but the provincial government did the exact opposite.

“It is badly impacting the seniority of the doctors and also creating problems for the patients,” he noted, adding that the Provincial Doctors Association has recorded its strong protest about this decision and demanded of the caretaker government to withdraw the decision.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2023.