Trainee doctors demand stipend

Trainee Medical Officers (TMO) from across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa staged a sit-in outside the Health Secretary’s office in Peshawar, demanding payment of their honorarium, which has not been paid for six months.

Braving the extreme weather conditions, male and female doctors from across the province gathered in large numbers to voice their concerns and protest the non-payment of their monthly stipend.

The protesting doctors claimed that they have been working tirelessly in hospitals for the past six months, but are not paid for their hard labour despite repeated assurances by the government.

They said that the provincial government had promised to release the honorarium soon after their coming into power, but failed to fulfil its commitment.

The summary of their induction is reportedly stuck between the finance and health departments, leaving the future of 194 doctors in limbo.

The protesting doctors said that they will not end their sit-in until they are regularized and their honorarium released.

Health Minister Qasim Ali Shah visited the sit-in of trainee doctors and offered to send them food and provided a shaded place.

He explained that during the caretaker government, TMOs were recruited on a monthly stipend, which these doctors themselves agreed to.

However, the TMOs could not even get that meager stipend. When these TMOs met him, their case was sent to the Finance Department on priority basis, but it was returned with objections.

Now, the summary has been sent again after removing the objections. In the summary, we have proposed that they be given a salary equal to their qualifications and other TMOs.

The summary also refers to the decision of the previous cabinet. The health minister said that he himself will meet with the finance advisor to find a permanent solution to this issue.

It should be noted that the Health Department wants to resolve this case on a priority basis and will not leave any stone unturned for the bright future of these young doctors, he added.